Pietro's no1 Crush
by Merci
Summary: Lance x Pietro - Pietro has a crush on Lance, yet he's afraid to confess his feelings. Rogue has some strange dreams that make her think someone close to her has feelings for Lance too.
1. Chapter 01

**Title:** Pietro's #1 Crush  
**Author:** Merci  
**Pairing:** Lance/Pietro  
**Rating:** M  
**Status:** COMPLETE (18 Chapters)  
**Source:** Xmen: Evolution  
**Feedback:** appreciated muchly!  
**Archiving:** etchedindigital LJ, Anywhere else, please ask first.  
**Special Thanks:** Lu Baihu for betaing sections of the sucker for me. Some kind readers who kicked my ass to get writing again, and my Mchan, who has resolved to kick my ass every time I talk to her; in part to get me writing, and in part for some fun on her part.

**Warnings:**  
**Slashfic** (Slash-fik) _n._ A fictitious story in which contain sexual relations between two or more men.

**Use of gay bashing slang**. Considering that I am actually WRITING slash/yaoi and LOVE slash/yaoi, I can assure you that the views expressed are that of a stereotypical jock. I am in **NO WAY** implying that ALL sports enthusiasts share the views of Duncan Matthews and his crew. (I have known many accepting jocks in my high school days… not to say that I didn't know some real pricks too…) Of course, if I had my way, fiction would be the only place to find any anti-gay opinions being expressed. Negativity towards anybody just leads to hurt. There are better things to do with one's time! Like…HUG! In short, do not take the vilification of Duncan or his football friends to mean that I think all jocks are like that. It's not true, but I needed some villains, so…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this fictional work. They belong to their respective owners. The story itself, however, DOES belong to me.

**Notes:** I began this a long time ago… and left it hanging for the longest time. There is nothing I can say that will make up for this lost time, except that it is now complete. I will never leave any fic hanging again. It is terribly wrong and I am sorry, to everybody who was reading this and hoping for an ending. I have gone through the reviews left between now and the last time I updated this. I made a note to all who were kind enough to comment on the end of my last chapter. Thank you all so very much for taking the time to r&r and come back to see this completed.

This story is set in the first season, since that was when I started writing it. This fic will not deal with any incidents or characters that were introduced after the first season.

I have re-written this, to make it tidier, since it irritated me to re-read it and see me putting "A/N"'s in everywhere, and ask for feedback at the end of fics. I resolve to not beg for feedback. If you read it and don't feel inclined to comment, that's cool. If you want to tell me something about it, please feel free to comment. I appreciate all communications on my work, even constructive criticism. Flames will still be used as an alternative form of heating, and entertainment.

And without further ado…

LEGEND:  
**_Pietro writing in his diary_ **yes, we'll pretend he has one. (I can do this, I'm the author :P)  
"Speech"  
'_thoughts'_

_**x-+-x**_

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 01**

_**Dear Diary,  
Today was a complete and utter waste of my time. There were so any other things I could have been doing than going to school. That stupid Duncan gave Todd and me and hard time when he saw us after second period. I'd just love to show him how superior I am! **_

_**One of the only highlights of the day was at lunch when I didn't have enough cash to pay for food. Lance stepped up and offered to buy me something to eat. **_

_**I have to write this here because I don't know who else to tell. I don't know how Freddie would react to me afterwards… and Todd... he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. I'm afraid that I'm reduced to sharing my feelings with a book. ...but I have to get this off my chest! **_

_**Oh, the way he looks at me when he's happy, the uncertainty in his eyes when he doesn't think anyone is watching. I... I think I'm falling in love with him! I'm in love with...**_

**CRASH! **

Pietro stopped his writing and looked up from his book to see what the ruckus was. Todd, the youngest mutant of their group, was stuck against his window. He was sticking to the window, much like a frog would stick to a tree; only the expression on his face was more pained than the average tree frog. This would not have been such a bizarre sight at the boarding house where the members of the Brotherhood of Evil mutants lived, if the window had not been on the second level of the house.

"Todd! What the hell are you doing!" Pietro asked, annoyance evident in his voice as he leaned over on his bed to get a better view of the mutant on his window.

Todd looked through the glass and gave Pietro a lopsided grin. "Hiya, 'Tro. What's goin' on?" he asked, just loud enough to be heard through the pane.

Pietro got off his bed and opened the window for his friend to enter. As graceful as ever, Todd leaped onto the sill before jumping through the open window. He performed a back flip in mid-air and landed on a chair, where he resumed his regular crouching position.

"I asked you first," Pietro grinned. "What the hell are you..."

"Todd!" Freddy's voice boomed from somewhere outside and cutting Pietro off mid-sentence. "Where are ya little buddy? Are ya okay!"

Pietro stuck his head out the now open window and yelled down, "He's up here man! What were you two doing?"

Freddy shrugged but said nothing.

Pietro pulled his head back inside and looked expectantly at Todd. "Well?" he asked.

"Uh, y'see," Todd began. "Fred and I. We were talkin' and stuff. He was askin' what I can stick to. So I gave him a demo of my many talents, yo. It was really cool! I stuck to this thing," Todd became more animated as he told his tale, occasionally bouncing in place on the chair. Pietro started to tap his foot on the uneven flooring. "Get to the point, I was busy!"

"...So anyways, it came down to Freddy saying 'I bet you can't stick to the roof' and I was saying 'Uh-huh I bet I can!' So he picks me up and throws me at the house!" Pietro buried his face in his hand exasperated with the whole thing. Todd grinned and jumped off the chair, opening the door before glanced back at Pietro, the other boy's head still in hand, before hopping off down the hallway, his fun with Pietro done.

Pietro sighed, stepping up to close the window and resolving to finish getting his thoughts out onto paper. He stopped when he saw the object of his desires out front of their house. He grinned and crouched down behind the window frame to spy on the person outside; his crush, his love.

**_End chapter 1_**


	2. Chapter 02

Before we get into this, I want to make the slight warning that YES I did make 3 out of the 4 BH guys trekkies. It seemed to me that they, being the social misfits that they are, that they would watch trek (hell, everyone I know watches trek, I watch trek, I'm writing what I know.)

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 02  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

Lance struggled with the garbage bags as he dragged them out to the curb. Why the Brotherhood let the mess get that bad, he would never know. He put the bags down at the curb and wiped his brow. The day was hot and his classes had been sweltering. _'The air conditioning at that cheap school would break at a time like this!'_ he mentally complained.

He turned around to go back inside and sighed to himself as he noticed Fred and Todd further over on the lawn, messing around. "How come I'm the only responsible one around here?" he grumbled to himself. "The only other remotely responsible person is Pietro and he only keeps his own room clean!"

Lance walked back to the front door of the house, so lost in all his mental complaining that he didn't think anything of slamming the front door open until he saw that Pietro had been directly behind it. He knocked the elfin youth over with a loud thud and a few muttered curse words.

"Pietro! Are you okay?" his voice full of concern for his friend. Pietro sat on the ground; a look on his face that Lance couldn't quite place. Pietro made no move to get up and Lance, worried he'd caused some damage, reached a hand out to help him stand. Grabbing Pietro by the arms, Lance pulled the boy to his feet and looked him over for injuries. "I'm sorry Pietro," he said, absently patting Pietro on a slender shoulder. "I wasn't paying attention there."

Pietro gazed into the taller boy's dark eyes, not saying a word. "Geez, I didn't think you went down that hard!" Lance exclaimed. "Your head okay?"

Pietro managed to nod. "Uh, I'm fine… Sorry… Uh," he stammered uncharacteristically as he looked at Lance. "Want some help?"

"Help?" Lance asked not quite knowing what he meant.

"With cleaning house." Pietro replied. "I saw you taking the garbage out…"

"Oh, yeah," Lance nodded, seeming to remember what he'd been doing. He explained to Pietro how their landlord had threatened to boot them out if they didn't clean the place up. "I don't want no bloody roaches moving in! You get rats, you deal with them!" Pietro chuckled at Lances impression of their landlord.

"So, you want some help? Or do you want to spend the rest of your life cleaning this place up?" Pietro asked smugly. Lance nodded and the two of them set to cleaning the garbage from behind the couch in the living room.

x-+-x

They spent the majority of what was left of the evening cleaning the lower level of the house, and Pietro was enjoying the time he was spending with Lance. Sneaking glances of him when he knew that the other boy wasn't looking, asking for help just so that he could be close to him. Even though it did involve getting his hands dirty Pietro didn't mind, it was worth it.

Midway through Freddy and Todd had begun to help as well, and Pietro was glad for the help. The cupcakes that were stuck to the wall and ceiling were giving him a hard time.

x-+-x

Before long the place wasn't looking half bad and the four mutants were exhausted. Although not shining with clean, I was passable to prolong their stay at the boarding house and they all decided to call it a night.

"Man I'm beat!" Todd exclaimed as he fell back onto the couch. He and Freddy had decided that a little TV would be good after all that manual labour. "Now I remember why I don't clean often," he announced as he picked up the remote control and began channel surfing.

"Ya know Toad," Freddy said, joining him on the couch. "If you cleaned more often, it wouldn't be such work… Oh, stop here!" he pointed to the screen. "I love this one!" his eyes were glued to the set.

Todd, not having much objection to watching Star Trek, left the channel where it was. "I never knew you liked Star Trek," he asked as the credits rolled up the screen.

"Are you kidding?" Freddy asked, eyes glued to the screen. "I love all the Treks! Their future has the neatest stuff in it!"

Todd nodded his agreement. "Yeah, and anytime things start to get the slightest bit dull…BAM" he slapped his hands together for emphasis. "The transporters malfunction and somebody is in an alternate Universe!" They both chuckled and watched on as Captain Kirk was summoned to Deep Space Station K-7 to deal with a possible Klingon threat.

"Oh hey!" Lance announced as he walked into the room. "It's the episode with the Tribbles! This is a classic!" He hopped over the back of the couch to sit in between his two comrades.

"Where's Pietro?" Todd asked, looking in the direction of the kitchen.

"He says he wants to prepare dinner," Lance answered as he settled himself down on the couch between Fred and Todd. "He says he's been watching those cooking shows and wants to try a couple things."

Freddy's stomach grumbled its approval. He was tired of being the cook. Just because he liked to eat, didn't mean that he liked to cook… it was just that he couldn't do one without doing the other.

They sat there; eyes glued to the screen until the mouth-watering smells of food drifted into the room and Pietro called out from the kitchen that dinner was ready.

Todd was the first up and the three of them made a mad dash to the kitchen. They grabbed their plates, filled them as full as they could and made their way back to the TV just in time to get back from commercial break.

"What are you watching guys?" Pietro asked as he walked into the room after them. There were no spots left to sit on the couch so he made himself comfortable on the floor, positioning himself so he could see the TV as well as his friends.

"It's Star Trek!" Todd announced. "The original!"

"There's more than one?" Pietro asked, completely nonplussed.

"Where have you been hiding? Under a rock?" Lance asked, surprised at Pietro's complete ignorance of the topic.

"Yeah, well I guess I was too busy to bother with watching TV," Pietro countered. "Y'know, with sports, being great, showing up Evan, and… hey, who's that guy?" Pietro asked, cutting himself off and pointing to a pointy-eared man in blue on the screen.

"That's Spock, yo!" Todd excitedly informed his companion. "He's a Vulcan!"

"A what?" Pietro asked.

"Well, y'see," Todd began. "Vulcans are these guys that believe in logic above all else, and…" Todd explained all he knew of the topic to his captive audience. Freddy and Lance half-listened as they watched the well-worn story unfold on the screen in front of them.

'_This should prove to be informative,' _Pietro thought to himself as he absorbed most of the trek information that Todd was feeding him. He looked up briefly to steal a glimpse of Lance who was watching the show, who, as if on cue let his dark eyes drift down to look at him. Their eyes locked for a few moments before Pietro quickly looked back to Todd.

Lance looked away, confused. _'What was THAT look about?'_ he wondered to himself. _'Pietro has been acting kinda weird all day,' _he forgot about Pietro's odd behaviour for a moment as he laughed along with his comrades as Captain Kirk opened a door and was buried in Tribbles. He settled down to watch the rest of the episode, deciding that he could think about Pietro later.

Fred, having finished his supper quickly, moved to re-fill his plate. He smiled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. He was happy. It seemed to him that the Brotherhood was starting to trust each other more and more each day. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt at home, and this accepted. They were getting along like a team should. Whether or not any of them would be willing to openly admit it, they were a family. He smiled as he filled his plate once again and returned to the TV room to join the others. At that moment in time, to Fred J. Dukes, nothing could hurt his happy family. He wouldn't let it.

**_End Chapter 2_**


	3. Chapter 03

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 03  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

First there was nothing but sweet darkness and blissful peace.

He felt a presence behind him. Firm, yet gentle hands running along his shoulders, comforting him. He could not see them, but rather feel the arms snaking around his body from behind. Hands rubbing over his chest, filling him with a sense of peace that he had not felt in a long time. A warm body pressed itself to his back and did its best to wrap itself around him. _'So warm…'_ he thought to himself. Sighing contentedly he wrapped his own arms around those of his… lover? His mind reminded him that he had no lover, but at that moment in time, he did not care. All that mattered to him was the warmth, and overwhelming love that he could feel emanating from his unseen being. Love was his, at least for this brief moment and he could smell the faint hint of… vanilla? _'Such a warm scent,' h_e sighed and leaned his head back into the crook of his dream lover's neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent.

"Kitty?" he murmured. No answer. He turned around and face the figure, breaking the embrace in the process, but when he looked, there was nobody there. Whoever it had been was gone. The scent of vanilla fading, like a memory with time. He stared at the darkness. "Who…?" he wondered, but then there was an obnoxious ringing that permeated the dark, shattering the calm, and waking Lance Alvers from his comforting slumber.

Lance propped himself up on one arm, eyes rolling back into his head for a moment, a look of mild concentration on his face. A rumbling could be heard and the offending alarm clock, which was perched on the other side of the room, began to bounce around on its table. It's ringing incessant throughout the whole event before it fell off the table and went silent.

"I'm up, yo! I'm up!" Todd yelled from down the hall. "Don't knock the place down man!"

Lance sighed and flopped back into bed. Teasing his body into thinking that sleep could be re-claimed. After a few moments of this torture the young man crawled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to begin the process of preparing for school. _'At least it's Friday,'_ he thought to himself. He passed Pietro's room along the way and paused by the door.

There was still an hour before they had to leave and Pietro would not be up yet. _'He always sleeps until the last possible moment,'_ Lance's brain thought to itself. _'Lucky bastard,'_ his body replied. After taking care of business in the bathroom Lance walked into the kitchen where everyone convened for breakfast every morning. Freddy, as usual, was already there; cooking up pancakes and whatever else he could conjure out of the fridge.

Money wasn't as tight as the Brotherhood had once thought. Once Tabitha had blown open Mystique's door, they had found a plentiful supply of money to support even Freddy's eating habits for quite a while. Tabitha of course had claimed their old boss lady's room for herself, and nobody had seemed to want to challenge her claim. She had barged in, taken the last bottle of water and behaved as if she was meant to be there. None of the boys were interested in having her there and they weren't too knocked out with her attitude either, but no one wanted to be the one to tell her to leave. "She is too fake," Freddy had stated at one of their What-do-we-do-about-Tabitha meetings. "She puts up a false front to try to appeal to everyone. Before waiting to see if someone likes her, she behaves as if they have already accepted her. She's afraid of rejection so she doesn't give anyone the chance to tell her that they don't like her." Everyone had stared wide-eyed at him. "What?" he asked innocently. "Why do you think she left the X-Men before they had a chance to kick her out?" Sometimes Freddy could be scary with his observations. He wasn't as dumb as people made him out to be.

Unfortunately these meetings, which were more like sessions where everyone complained about Tabitha, never accomplished much.

Fortunately, Tabitha had decided to visit her mother for a month or so during the summer, and had left a week earlier. Her grades were too low to fix in such a short time before school was over, so she had no problem with missing the rest of the year; much to the joy of the other members of the Brotherhood.

Lance sat down heavily at the table, not yet fully awake. It was only then that he noticed Pietro was already there. The younger boy looked up at him; his tiredness evident in his eyes. "You're up early." Lance stated as he got up to fix a coffee for himself.

"Well, we DID stay up until 3 in the morning watching Star Trek," Pietro answered. He didn't mention how the rest of his night was filled with dreams of Lance, naked in his arms, as he whimpered the older boy's name over and over again in an endless plea for more… he could feel a grin spread across his face. "Huh?" he started, pulling himself out of his reverie. "Did you say something, Lance?"

Lance was grinning at him. "Did you know that you have the dopiest smile on your face?"

Pietro said nothing. He couldn't come up with an excuse for why he was staring at Lance and smiling like a fool. He began to feel his cheeks flush with embarrassment as the images from his dreams returned to him. The awkward silence was broken as Freddy set his latest creation on the table and then took his seat.

Todd made his appearance at this moment in time and joined Lance, Pietro and Freddy in eating breakfast. Sitting down beside Lance and Freddy he pulled out a book and started writing in it as he ate. Frantically he tried to put as many words onto the paper as possible. Freddy slowed down his eating enough to ask Todd what he was writing.

"Homework," he said as he took a drink of juice. "All that Star Trek made me forget about a story I have due in English…" he jotted down a few more words and crammed a fork full of eggs into his mouth. He fumbled once with the fork and dropped the utensil on the floor. Too rushed to retrieve it he started writing again, his tongue shooting out every now and then to pick up random bits of food from his plate.

There was something eerily hypnotic about the way that Todd ate. _'He barely chews!' _Pietro thought to himself as he witnessed the youngest boy's agile tongue shoot out and grab a piece of toast off of Freddy's plate. "Hey Todd! I was gonna eat that!" The blonde giant whined.

"C'mon guys!" Lance announced, getting up and heading for the door, keys in hand. "The ride to school is leaving now," he looked back expectantly to see who was following. Pietro momentarily entertained the thought of going to school on foot, but quickly dismissed it when he remembered how hot it was. Freddy and Todd got up and started to head out to the jeep. It would take them a couple of tries to get Freddy in and they needed the head start. Lance looked back to Pietro who was slowly moving to get out of his chair, a look of deep thought on his face. "Geez, 'Tro. If you move any slower, summer vacation will be over and the next year of school will have started up again!"

Pietro started. He didn't think that Lance was still in the kitchen and the older boy's statement had startled him out of his thoughts. He gave a half smile. "I'm moving," he said, trying to sound like his normal self. "Perfection cannot be rushed, unless it so desires to be." The elfin youth gave Lance a typical Pietro smirk and, in a flash, was gone.

x-+-x

Meanwhile, at the Xavier Institute…

"Like, ew! Kurt is picking his nose with his tail!" Kitty Pryde's squeals of disapproval rang throughout the breakfast room at the Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters. Only a few people paid attention, as wrapped up as they were in preparing for exams.

"So vhat if I vas?" Kurt said. "How do you expect me to get zis booger of my nose? It has been bugging me all morning!" At this he ported over to Kitty's side and began showing her the inside of his nose where said booger was lurking.

"EWWWWW!" Kitty squealed. "Get away from me!" She jumped up and ran away from Kurt and his booger, phasing through the table in the process and earning a couple of chuckles from others in the room.

Kurt teleported back to his seat next to Evan and the two boys high-fived each other triumphantly. Ever since the stress of exams had set in the two had taken it upon themselves to relieve the tension by pulling practical jokes and grossing each other out; much to the displeasure of everyone else at the institute. A few people had complained, but the Professor, in his infinite wisdom, had dismissed it saying that people needed a little stress relief during exams. As such, most people had taken to avoiding the duo as they might fall victim to one of their 'harmless stress relieving' pranks.

Rogue sat in her usual corner and watched Evan and Kurt as they goofed around at the other end of the kitchen. They knew well enough not to disturb her. She stared into her barely touched bowl of cereal. Last night had been restless for her, like the past few nights. She couldn't figure it out. She didn't even like Lance, but she kept having the most sensual dreams about him. They often left her waking covered with sweat and in need of a cold shower.

Rogue absentmindedly began playing with her cereal. _'Why th' hell ahm ah havin' these dreams?'_ She wondered. _'Who th' hell did ah absorb t'get these bloody thaughts?'_

She tried to figure it out. Her first candidate would be Kitty, but she hadn't absorbed Kitty's energy for a long time, and even then it was a little tap. Albeit it didn't take a telepath to know that the Kitty still had a little crush on Lance, and Rogue could often hear the other girl talking in her sleep. She grinned to herself glancing down at her watch seeing that it was time to leave for school. She got up to leave her dishes on the counter closest to the sink.

"Hey, Rogue!" Scott said as he poked his head through the door. "You want a ride to school?"

"Okay. Just let me get mah thangs! Ah'll be raght thare!" Rogue gave him a little smile and turned back to get her bag. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. _'Scott…'_

**_End Chapter 3_**


	4. Chapter 04

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 04  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

It was Friday, and school progressed as it usually did. First class followed by second, then lunch. Freddy loved lunch. Not as much as everyone assumed, but he loved it all the same. He walked into the cafeteria and found his usual seat at the Brotherhood table and waited for his speed-demon buddy to show up. Every now and then Freddy would give Pietro his lunch money and have the silver haired youth buy his lunch for him. Pietro could usually manage to be one of the first in the lunch line without anyone noticing his powers. While he waited, Todd sat down to join him.

"Uh, hey Toad, man. How'd ya do with that English story?" Freddy greeted his friend cheerfully. "I hope you didn't eat my toast for nothing."

"Meh," Todd replied.

"Whatkindofawordis'Meh',Todd?" Pietro inquired as he unceremoniously dropped Freddy's lunch in front of the giant before taking his usual spot beside Todd. "You just came from English class. Don't they teach you words in that class?"

"You can't even speak at normal speeds, yo!" Todd countered. "B'sides, I can make up words if I want to. It's a free country," he checked to see if anyone was looking before he let his tongue shoot out of his mouth to gather some fries off his plate.

"Hey, Pietro, man. What is this crap? I asked for a burger," Freddy complained as he picked at the heap of pasta that dominated his plate.

"But that's healthier for you. See those things at the corner of the tray?" Pietro pointed to a stack of flat, round orange things. "Those are called vegetables, carrots to be exact. They're healthier for you anyways. So eat up Fred!"

The large boy began picking at his meal, taking the occasional bite of the carrots and grumbling the entire time.

"Hey, you guys seen Lance?" Todd asked, suddenly noticing that their fearless leader was nowhere to be seen.

Lance was usually late for lunch since his second period class was on the far end of the school, but he had usually made his appearance by now. Pietro stopped picking at his chicken and started looking out over the vast sea that was the student body. He finally spotted Lance at the far end of the cafeteria.

"What's he think he's doin', yo?" Todd had obviously spotted Lance at the same time as Pietro did.

"Well, it looks like he's trying to pick up Kitty… again." Pietro said, annoyed. _'Why won't he give it up?'_ he sighed as he watched Lance leaned in closer to Kitty to deliver the punch line to some joke. She was hanging on every word that the tall brunette said, and he was, quite obviously, loving every minute of it.

Freddy began laughing at something that Todd had said. Pietro turned his attention back to his friends who were cracking jokes at Lance's expense, but he hadn't heard what they were saying; his thoughts were centering entirely on Lance. _'I can't compete,'_ he sighed, frowning down at his chicken. _'He's straight. I'm not. I'm in love with him. He could never feel that way for me,'_ he sighed, his chicken suddenly holding no appeal for him. He pushed his tray over to Freddy who was happy to have more food added to his plate.

Pietro stood and started to gather his things. "I'mgonnagoforarun," he mumbled as he left as quickly as he could without using his powers. Todd and Fred exchanged confused looks. Pietro had been behaving strangely lately, and they both silently agreed that they were going to get to the bottom of it.

x-+-x

Lance forced himself to laugh at yet another one of Kitty's attempts at being funny. He had bumped into her on his way to his locker and she had started talking to him, and the conversation had lasted all the way to the X-Men's lunch table. Although he didn't mind talking to Kitty, Lance also took secret joy in seeing the looks of annoyance on the other X-Geeks's faces. None of them, aside from Kitty, wanted him there.

Unfortunately for Lance, the conversation had started to become very annoying. It started when Kitty had run out of things to say and had begun giggling, and using the word 'like' far more often that she usually would.

"Well, that's interesting, Kitty." He cut her off mid-'like'. " I'll see ya around!" He looked at Scott, who was glaring back at him. "See ya around too, Sumnerves!" he grinned before turning and heading back to the Brotherhood table. Rubbing Scott the wrong way always put him in a lighter mood.

"Bye Lance!" Kitty giggled after his retreating form.

At that moment, Rogue mentally puked all over herself. "Bye, Lance," she mocked quietly. She looked back at Scott who was still watching Lance. _'It has to be him!'_ she thought. _'Ah mean, look! He can't take his eyes off him!'_ It was true. Scott hadn't moved his eyes from Lance, even thought the other boy wasn't anywhere near him and was, instead, sitting with the Brotherhood.

"Scott, will you stop staring at him? He's not worth your time," Jean piped up.

"I can't help it. He's plotting something," Scott glared at Lance's back for a few more seconds before turning his gaze back to his teammates. "I mean, why'd he leave so suddenly?"

"Maybe he got bored a listenin' to valley girl here sayin' 'like' every five seconds," Rogue offered.

"Hey! Well at least I, like, have a guy interested in me. Little Miss 'don talk tah me!'" Kitty wrinkled her face as she tried to do her best impression of Rogue. The gothic teen was unimpressed. She rolled her eyes, annoyed with the conversation that Kitty insisted on having with her every other week. She couldn't touch anyone and had already decided that there would be no point in pursuing a relationship with anyone.

"Now calm down you two," Scott tried to act the leader again. "We can't be a team if we're constantly fighting." Jean smiled smugly as Scott preached on the values of teamwork. She tried to wrap her arm around Scott in support, but he ignored her, a move that did not go unnoticed by Rogue.

"Kitty," Scott continued. "I don't like you hanging around Lance. He's the enemy…" He looked back to the Brotherhood table. Upon noticing that the table was empty he then briefly looked around, trying to locate his opponents. "I think that you should stay away from him," he continued, giving up his search and turning back to look at a crestfallen Kitty.

'_Yeah, you want her ta stay away from him so that YOU can have him all t' yerself. Oh, all the signs are there Scott,'_ Rogue smirked to herself at this realized truth. _'Yer in love with Lance Alvers. It's gotta be you. Who else have Ah absorbed t'get those dreams?'_ Rogue was too busy plotting to listen to the fit that Kitty was throwing. The petite brunette was crying indignantly and angrily telling Scott how he had not right to tell her whom she could hang out with. The darkly clothed girl had had enough. She stood, pushing her chair out of her way. "Listen to ya Kitty," she said staring at the teary eyed girl, a few strands of streaked hair fell into her eyes. "Ya need tah grow up. An stop cryin', it's annoying." She started to gather her stuff. "Ah'm outta here," she announced, looking at Scott before turning and leaving.

x-+-x

Rogue made her way out of the cafeteria, a plan forming in her head. She knew what it was like to love someone and never be able to do anything about it. She wanted to make Scott happy and give him what he truly wanted. She was also pretty sure that she could find what she needed by the pop machines. Sure enough, as she rounded the corner, she saw Lance. He was obtaining a pop using the patented Lance Alvers method; rocking the pop machine violently with his powers.

"Lance?" she cautiously approached the older boy.

He looked up. "Oh, hey Rogue," he said, opening his can with a sharp crack.

"Uh, can Ah talk t'ya?" she asked, uncertainly. She had a plan, but wasn't sure how to breach the subject with the Brotherhood member.

"Sure, I guess," Lance replied, taking a drink.

"Well, uh… can we talk in private?" she asked, uncertainly.

He gave her a weird look before shrugging, "Uh, sure."

Rogue led him out of the school to a section of trees and bushes. She often retreated to this spot to read when people got on her nerves, which was quite often. "Ah don't want anyone t'see us," she explained as she led Lance through the dense foliage.

This did not alleviate his discomfort as a member of the X-Men led him further off the beaten path and away from potential help. He jumped back a few feet when Rogue suddenly stopped and turned to face him. "Look Lance. Ah only have a question. Ah ain't here ta fight you."

"Well that's a relief… I guess," he mumbled, still unsure of the situation.

"Do you…?" Rogue began, averting her eyes from Lance's penetrating gaze. "That is, what do you think of Scott?"

"Why?" Now Lance was really confused.

"Look, just answer th' damn question," Rogue was getting flustered. _'Damn, this is harder that Ah thought.'_

"Well, he's annoying," Lance began. "Always going off on one of his self-righteous speeches. I don't know how you can live with him Rogue."

She ignored the question and pressed the issue. "Is that all? I mean, that's all you feel for him?"

"Rogue, why are you asking me these weird questions? What's going on?" Lance's tone was more demanding.

Rogue was starting to wonder if she shouldn't have stuck her nose in this. "Well, uh, I think… you can't tell anybody. Promise?"

"Yeah, sure, I promise. Now tell me Rogue. What the hell is going on?"

"I think Scott… likes you…"

x-+-x

Pietro was running. He didn't know or care where he was or where he was running. He had to clear his thoughts, which were also running a million miles a minute. _'I can't compete.'_ He turned the thought over and over in his mind as he sped through the streets. Its meaning brought bitter tears to his pale blue eyes. What he was feeling was new to him. The feeling he got when he admitted to himself that he envied somebody like Kitty Pryde because she held the key to his love's heart, and she would not relinquish it to someone like him.

Pietro wanted to jump up and down, screaming at the top of his lungs that Lance belonged to him. That Kitty should stay away because he and Lance were meant to be. But they were not meant to be and Lance did not love him and probably never would.

The silver haired youth stopped running when he found himself in front of the boarding house. He stood there looking up at the imposing building. "Damnit!" he yelled at the structure, his voice cracking, but the house offered no reply. The sun shone, reflecting off of the dark shingles, making the day seem hotter than it was and Pietro then noticed how drenched with sweat he was. "Gross," he mumbled to himself, as he looked at the mess his clothes were in. In a flash he was in the house, peeling off his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom, intent on taking a cool vanilla bath to try and calm his thoughts.

'_Looks like I'm not going back to school today,' _he decided as he eased his body into the scented water, the liquid beginning to cool his heated flesh. _'I didn't want to have to see Kitty and Lance pawing all over each other anyways,' _he sighed, relaxing into the bath. After a few moments he furrowed his dark brow in irritation. _'Why'd it have to be Kitty?'_ he thought, growing more frustrated as he contemplated his situation. Tears fell unbidden down his flushed cheeks and he moved to cover his face with his hands. _'Why the hell did I have to fall in love with Lance?'_

The fair boy sat in the tub for several hours, sorrowful cries shaking his pale shoulders as he allowed himself to feel self-pity for the first time in a long time.

**_End Chapter 4_**


	5. Chapter 05

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 05  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

"I think Scott… likes you…" The words hung in the air between them and Lance took a moment to process the information. He was surprised that he wasn't disgusted by the thought of being with another man. The thought had often come to mind every now and then, and to be truthful with himself, he was curious, but he had no interest in Scott, and it pained him to have to turn the guy down. His found his thoughts wandering back to the previous night when he'd caught Pietro giving him looks while were watching Star Trek. _'Could Pietro...? Nah!'_ Lance quickly dismissed the idea. They were all good friends, and besides; he liked Kitty. It was safe to like Kitty. Anyways, it was obvious that she was interested in him. He just couldn't shake the feeling he got whenever he flirted with her. It was as if he didn't mean the words he was saying, but said them anyways because it was what was expected of him. _'Jesus,'_ he sighed mentally. _'Scott is definitely not my type… and neither is Kitty…what the hell DO I want?'_

Rogue was staring at him, an anxious look on her face. "Look, er, just forget it, okay?" _'Maybe Ah made a mistake in tellin' him.'_

She turned to leave, but Lance held her arm firmly. "No, Rogue. Wait," Lance thought for a minute. "I'm not… Scott just, well… I guess he's not my type."

Rogue turned to face him; she was both relieved and defeated. "Okay… could you not tell anybody about this? Ah don't think that Scott would like me tellin', ya know?"

Lance smiled and nodded in agreement. "Sure thing, Rogue."

They held each other's gaze for a few moments before Lance turned away. "I gotta go," he said, looking towards the path. "The guys are probably looking for me."

Rogue nodded, not moving her eyes from Lance's retreating back. _'Oh, Scott,' _she thought, empathizing with her friend. _'He doesn't feel the same way,' s_he wrapped her arms around her thin frame in an effort to comfort her own aching heart. "No one should have to be alone like Ah am."

x-+-x

_**Dear Diary,  
Today was a completely horrible ordeal that I hope that I never have to endure ever again. The classes were far too basic for someone of my intelligence. Oh yeah, and apparently I live with a bunch of Trekkies, but that's okay because they got me hooked on it too. Well I thought I caught Lance checking me out a couple of times last night while we were watching our Star Trek fest. Stupid me, I actually thought that I might have a chance with him. As it turns out, I was being too hopeful because today Lance was flirting with Kitty… again! I know he does it almost every day, and I complain about it every day too… but it hurts. Today I had a realization that made the whole thing all that more annoying. I cannot compete with Kitty Pryde. Lance is so in love with her, he barely acknowledges my existence. God, this is so frustrating. How do I fall out of love with someone?**_

Pietro paused in his writing to gaze out the window; the sun was shining brightly and a cool breeze blew in, causing a few strands of his downy hair to fall into his eyes. He tossed his head to one side, effectively moving the offending hair out of his vision and closed his eyes, enjoying the cool air as it breezed over his face.

The silver haired youth got up to open the window further but paused when he got to the opening. Something on the lawn caught his eye and he quickly ducked to avoid being seen, peeking out over the frame to see what was going on. He felt kind of weird spying on his friends, but he knew they would ask him why he ditched the rest of school and wanted to avoid their questions. He gazed lovingly at Lance, the older mutant, who was leaning into his Jeep to retrieve his school stuff and completely unaware of his audience. Pietro licked his lips while admiring the view. A few moments passed before movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention away from Lance's ass.

Todd and Freddy were having a very animated argument. "Uh-huh. I bet I can!" Todd was overheard yelling before Freddy suddenly picked up the short amphibian and hurled him at the house. Pietro let out a startled cry before diving out of the way as Todd flew through the open window.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pietro yelled.

Todd looked up from where he fell on the floor, a dopey grin spreading across his features. "Hiya, 'Tro! Me n' Freddy were finishing yesterday's argument," he hopped to his feet in one graceful leap. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked, looking to the bed where an open book lay.

"Nothing!" Pietro said a little too defensively. He zipped over to the bed and slammed the book shut.

"Okaaaay," Todd said, suspicious of Pietro's secrecy. He wanted to press the issue but instead changed the subject. "Well, why did you ditch school then?"

"I just felt like being kind and sparing Daniels the embarrassment of losing to me in gym class," Pietro lied, hoping Todd would buy it.

'_Something is definitely going on here!'_ Todd thought as he grinned, nodding his head in agreement. He then excused himself, saying that he had to find Freddy to finish their argument and hopped back out the way he had entered.

Todd clung to the wall just beneath Pietro's window, praying that the speed-demon would not check to make sure he'd gone. He waited a few minutes before peeking over the frame. Pietro was writing something in the book. _'What the… a diary? He didn't seem like the type to keep one,'_ Todd suppressed a giggle and quickly hid again, hoping Pietro hadn't heard him.

He looked down at Freddy who was waiting impatiently on the lawn. He motioned for the large youth to wait a minute more before risking another peek into Pietro's room. He was rewarded with the sight of the slender youth stuffing his diary in between his mattresses. _'All I needed to know,'_ Todd thought as he released his grip on the brick and kicked himself away from the structure, landing gracefully on the ground.

"So, what'd ya find out, Todd?" Freddy asked. He didn't like spying on his friends, but Todd had convinced him it was to help Pietro.

"Oh, man. You're never gonna guess what I just saw, yo!" Todd was having trouble speaking through his laughing fit. "Pietro… has… a diary!" Todd exploded into a fit of laughter, falling back on the grass and holding his sides.

Freddy looked at his friend, confused by his behaviour. "What's so funny, Todd? I have a diary. It helps me sort out my thoughts so that I can solve my problems without losing my temper and making them worse," he cringed inwardly as he recalled how he had handled his crush on Jean Grey. "Uh, hey! Maybe 'Tro uses his diary for the same thing. Maybe we can find out what's bugging him!"

Todd's laughter had died down considerably, and now he laid on the grass, staring at the clouds, a plan forming in his brain. "Freddy," he got up, looking around to make sure they were alone. "You're probably right, yo! And I got a plan. You distract Pietro while I get his diary. The answer's gotta be in there."

**_End Chapter 5_**


	6. Chapter 06

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 06  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

Pietro lay on the couch, flipping through the stations that the TV had to offer, or rather the plethora of Star Trek episodes it had. There were three currently on and he was trying to decide which would be more interesting.

Freddy walked back into the house, hoping he wouldn't screw Todd's plan up. _'Keep him busy for 20 minutes? But nothing keeps Pietro busy for 20 minutes!'_ he sighed, already giving up hope. Suddenly the sound of a transporter beam reached his ears and he rushed to the TV room, hoping his guess was right.

"Ah, good! Freddy, I'm having a dilemma!" Pietro greeted his heavyset companion enthusiastically. "Which trek would you recommend? There are three on at once and I don't want to miss a good one."

Freddy was relieved; now THIS would work! He joined his speed buddy on the couch, and began to explain how the original was a classic and came first if you had not yet seen the episode. Star Trek: The Next Generation came second for its development of the Star Trek universe, which paved the way for later series…

x-+-x

Todd quietly closed the front door, keeping an ear out to listen for Pietro. He smiled to himself as he started to head up the stairs. He could hear Freddy explaining Trek and knew he had enough time. Once in Pietro's room, he retrieved the book from between the mattresses. He made sure to put the bed sheets back to appear un-disturbed, and hid the book under his shirt before hurrying back to his own room.

Todd secured the door to his room and flopped onto the bed. He flipped to the back of the book, not wanting to read anything too personal and hoping that his answer lay in the most recent entries. "Hmmm," Todd hummed. _'So, Lance buying him lunch was a highlight of his day, eh? What's this? I could SO keep my big mouth shut!'_ Todd grew indignant for a moment before getting angry. "You're in love with… who? It doesn't say!" Todd slammed the book shut. He was curious as to who it was, but knew reading more might jeopardize his friendship with Pietro. _'So, he's in love. That's all Todd. He's not growing suicidal or weird on us. There's nothing wrong, so you don't have to read anymore,'_ his hand twitched, aching to open the book _'So… put… the damn… book back, yo!'_ Todd mentally yelled at himself. After a few moments his conscience finally gave up the battle and he opened the book, turning the pages until he found the page he wanted. Taking a deep breath he continued reading.

… _**I was being too hopeful because today Lance was flirting with Kitty… again! I know he does it almost every day, and I complain about it every day too… but it hurts. Today I had a realization that made the whole thing all that more annoying. I cannot compete with Kitty Pryde. Lance is so in love with her, he barely acknowledges my existence. God, this is so frustrating. How do I fall out of love with someone?**_

_**Even if I had the balls to TELL him that I love him… he is so happy when he's around Kitty, I don't think I have ever made him smile like that. I care about him too much to take him away from her. **_

_**God this sucks, I hate this. And I'm stuck writing this shit in a diary! This is ultimately frustrating**_

The last part of the page was scribbled out of frustration and the bottom half of the page was ripped. Todd sat there for a few moments, trying to digest what he had just read and decipher the chicken scratch at the end.

'_Boy is going nuts! Writing to a book… waitaminute. He's in love with Lance!'_ The whole reality of it sunk in rather slow for Todd. He slowly closed the book and left it on his bed, too dazed to do much else with it. The sandy haired boy was having trouble sorting out his thoughts. He was in no way disgusted with the fact that Pietro was gay… or bi. He didn't mind at all that Pietro was interested in boys. He himself had had the odd crush on a few boys that he had known, but he had always ignored them and focused his attention on girls, any girl. The truth was, he was afraid. Being a mutant meant being singled out and oppressed, and being in a relationship with another boy would mean further persecution. It was because of this that he had repressed any feelings he had, hoping that they would go away. _'You're braver than me,'_ he thought, picking up the diary once again. _'You don't even know how it's gonna end up, yo.'_ He tucked the book back under his shirt and crept out into the hallway.

Once the diary was back and he was sure that Pietro would not notice that his diary had been moved, Todd made his way downstairs to join his friends in front of the TV. _'However it turns out with you an' Lance, you can count on me to be there for ya, yo!'_ Todd looked at Pietro; the downy haired boy was staring intently at the screen, perched on the edge of his seat and completely oblivious to his friend's newfound knowledge and the silent promise that was made. _'You don't deny what you are, be it mutant or gay. That's what I like most about you, yo.'_

Todd closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts together. This revelation was awakening many old emotions that he never again thought that he would have to deal with. He was drawn back out of his thoughts by a slight pain in his shoulder. Freddy was poking him, trying to get his attention. The larger mutant gave him a questioning look, to which Todd forced a grin and a slight nod. Letting his friend know that the mission had been successful.

**_  
End Chapter 6_**


	7. Chapter 07

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 07  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

Ever since her lunchtime chat with Lance, Rogue's spirits had been considerably lowered. _'He doesn't feel tha same way.'_ The phrase kept repeating over and over in her head during the car ride home. Nobody else in the car seemed to notice her as they merrily chatted away, joking about things that had happened at school.

"…So then Cheryl, like, ran out of the bathroom screaming that the toilets were smoking!" Kitty giggled as she re-counted the results of the days' pranks to the two boys in the back seat.

"Really? I vould have given anything to see ze look on her face! But Evan and I vere putting more dry ice in ze boys bathrooms upstairs."

"What are you talking about, Kurt?" Evan elbowed his friend playfully. "You got to see Duncan stumbling out of the bathroom with ketchup all over the butt of his pants! That was a classic!"

"What's this?" Scott asked a smirk forming on his lips. He looked up into the rear-view mirror, looking at them expectantly with a raised eyebrow.

"Vell, it vas really Evans idea," Kurt began. "Ve just took some ketchup packets from zee lunchroom."

"Duncan always goes to the bathroom, at the same time every day," Evan interrupted. "Same bathroom, same stall. So I put the ketchup packets in-between the toilet seat and the bowl, underneath the little feet on the seat. You know what I'm talking about? Well, that would make it so that if someone were to sit on the seat…"

"SPLAT!" both Kurt and Evan chorused together before they broke into peals of laughter.

Scott chuckled at this before turning back to the road. "You guys be careful not to get beat up over these jokes. If Duncan found out it was you…"

"Aw, lighten up, dude!" Kurt characteristically put his surfer lingo to good use. "Zis veekend ve are planning on how to get ze Brotherhood."

Evan laughed, "Maximoff won't know what hit him!"

"Hey! Don't go after Lance!" Kitty began whining, trying to protect her interests.

"Yeah, you guys don't want them to get mad and then start any trouble. You know what they're like," Scott started to lecture them. "Besides, I hate fighting Lance all the time. It's totally annoying to listen to 20 rock puns in a row."

Kurt laughed and began to recall all the different rock puns that Lance had used during their battles. Rogue was mildly paying attention to the conversation. She had taken it upon herself to inform Lance that she was certain that Scott had feelings for him. Although Lance had said that he didn't share the feelings, he had promised not to breathe a word of it to anyone. Rogue was thankful for that. But as she thought more and more about it, she began to wonder if she had made a mistake. Should she have even opened her mouth at all?

x-+-x

Rogue sat on the couch in front of the television. The harsh light from the screen illuminated her solitary form in the dark room. An old re-run of Who'se the Boss was playing while Rogue scowled at the screen. _'God, this is so cheesy! Ah can't believe that people actually watched this crap… an Ah can't believe that there's nothing else on!'_

She sat there for a moment longer before turning off the television and deciding to go for a walk in the garden. Her mind kept repeating the scene from earlier with Lance. Was it a mistake to tell him? She really shouldn't have taken it upon herself to tell Lance but she had anyways. Rogue paused in her thoughts and breathed in a lungful of cool night air as she stepped out of the mansion and out into the garden. It was a full moon and she found the soft illumination on the various plants and statues to be calming. She walked silently along the garden path, mind wandering over what she did. A knot began for form in her stomach the more she thought; the kind of knot one gets when they realize that they have done something irreparably stupid. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to rid her conscious of the thought.

"Hey, Rogue," a familiar voice greeted her.

She stopped, along with her heart. Opening her eyes once more, she saw him. He was sitting on a garden bench, looking at her through those ruby-quartz sunglasses, smiling warmly at her before turning back to gaze to the moon.

Rogue couldn't think. She definitely couldn't speak. There he was, she had told his crush that he loved him, and he had no idea. "Hi, Scott," her brain kicked into gear and she continued walking towards him.

"Moon gazing, huh? Me too. I just love seeing it, especially when it's full," his voice was happy, completely free of the anger he would have towards her if he knew.

Rogue smiled weakly at him, before seeming to come to a decision and joining him on the bench. "Scott?"

"Yeah?" his voice drifted over to her.

"Ah have a confession ta make…" there was a slight trepidation to her voice. _'It's now or never!'_ the voice in her head screamed to her and she continued. "Well, y'know how sometimes when Ah absorb people? How Ah get their thaughts and feelings too? Well, Ah absorbed some of yours…"

"Oh? What kinds of thoughts?" He turned to face her, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, Ah've been having these dreams. I'm sure they were your dreams, and well… I know how you feel about Lance."

"What are you talking about, Rogue? Everyone knows that I don't like Lance," Scott was confused now.

"Not that," Rogue was having difficulty looking at him. "I know that you… that you like him… love him even. Ah know you hid it well, but today Ah saw how you were with him, and Ah knew it was true… Ah just wanted to help… Ah thought that if Ah told him, then one of us could be happy…"

"You WHAT?" Scott's voice broke the silent peace that was once in the garden. "Rogue! HOW could you do that? You didn't even ASK me if it was true!"

"Ahm sorry! Ah thought…. Look, Scott. Ah just wanted you t'be happy. Because Ah… because…" Rogue's beautiful face contorted into that of pain as tears began streaming down her cheeks. She quickly turned away from Scott, ashamed at her own weakness and mistake in opening her mouth to Lance. She wiped at her eyes, trying to bring herself under control, before she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath. "Ah can never be with anybody, Scott. Ah know what it's like to be alone. Ah thought… Ah knew you'd never tell Lance you loved him. Ah didn't want anybody t'be alone. Not like me… So Ah told him. Scott, Ahm sorry…"

"Rogue, it's okay. I'm not mad at you," he pulled her into a brotherly embrace, patting the top of her head affectionately. "But, I don't like Lance."

She looked up at him suddenly, confusion written on her features. "You don't? But Ah was sure it was you!"

"Nah. I can understand how some people might think he's great, but I don't. I'm straight."

"Ah," Rogue nodded absently. "He said he wasn't interested anyways…"

"I just hope he doesn't blab this to anyone…" Scott thought aloud before chuckling to himself. "Not that they'd believe him."

"Nah, he said he wouldn't say anything," Rogue reassured him.

Scott nodded at her, a smile warming his features. Nothing more was said as the two held each other and watched the vast expanse of heaven that stretched out above their heads. Neither noticing the two figures, who had been hiding the whole time, silently creep away and back to the mansion.

x-+-x

Pietro Maximoff sighed. His weekend had sped by him without incident, much like his life did. He'd successfully avoided Lance for most of the weekend and now he sat in the brotherhood's jeep, staring at the back of Lance's head as he was being driven to school. The older mutant had tried talking to him briefly, but he had spent most of his time by himself, supposedly in deep thought. _'Probably thinking about Kitty,_' Pietro thought bitterly. He was wedged in the back seat next to Freddy, having lost his bid for shotgun to Todd and he hadn't put up much of a fight to challenge Todd's victory. He supposed it was because he was daydreaming about Lance that he hadn't thought to get the front seat. It didn't matter anyways, they would soon be at school and he wouldn't be uncomfortable anymore. There he could daydream all throughout class and not worry about missing anything, well, nothing important anyway.

x-+-x

Grumbling all the way down the hallway, Pietro stomped up to his locker. Who knew that he couldn't just not listen to what was going on in class? He certainly wasn't expecting the teacher to single him out and embarrass him in front of the class.

His art history teacher had in no way appreciated his complete and utter ignorance of the topic she had just instructed and had made him sit in the corner for the rest of her class all while his classmates had a good laugh at his expense. This was not turning out to be a wonderful day.

"Hey, Pietro?" Evan asked, approaching Pietro between classes.

The silver haired boy tried to bury his head into his locker, not in the mood to deal with anyone. "Not now Evans. I'm not in the mood."

"Hey man, I'm not here to bug ya. I just thought you might like to know…"

Pietro pulled his head out of his locker and looked into the chocolate brown eyes of someone who once was a friend; eyes that now shone with sympathy. "What is it?" he asked.

"Kurt and I were playing practical jokes on people all weekend and we were hiding out, trying to pull one on Scott. Well, we overheard a conversation he had with Rogue and it might affect you."

"Okay…you have my attention." Pietro said trying to sound bored.

"Well, there was something about Scott having the hots for Lance. I think Rogue went and told Lance and well… he wasn't into it. At all."

"How does that affect me, Evans?"

"Well, you an me used to be friends, Pietro, and I know you, man. I just thought you might like to know that you might be living with a phobe. Y'don't know how he'd react if he found out. … besides, even if we aren't friends anymore, I don't wanna see you get hurt…"

"Aw, geez, Evan! I didn't know you cared!" Pietro exclaimed in mock astonishment.

"Fine then!" Evan said coolly. "I thought I'd be nice to you! Do what you want, see if I care, Maximoff," the blonde turned to leave when a pale hand caught his arm. He turned to look back into icy blue eyes.

"Thanks, Evan." Pietro said, almost a whisper. Evan nodded his understanding and then continued on his way to his next class all while Pietro's blue eyes followed the movements of his former friend as he disappeared from sight. _'Things cannot get any worse,'_ he thought as he processed this new information. When he was sure that Evan had gone, Pietro grabbed his stuff out of his locker and sped off to his next class.

**_End Chapter 7_**


	8. Chapter 08

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 08  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

'_Things cannot get any worse,' _Pietro thought as he processed this new information that Evan had told him. When he was sure that his rival had gone, he grabbed his stuff out of his locker and sped off to his next class.

He was wrong. The day could, and did, get progressively worse as Pietro thought more and more on what Evan had told him. Not only would he have to hide his feelings for Lance, which in itself wasn't new to him, but he would also have to hide any relationships that he might have. He sure as hell didn't want Lance to scare any of his boyfriends off. Images of Lance shaking down the boarding house while a cute guy ran screaming for his life flashed through Pietro's mind's eye. His thoughts followed in this vein until the bell signaling the end of class startled him out of his reverie. With a mighty sign Pietro gathered his stuff and walked out the door of his final class to his locker. People were rushing past him, but he didn't notice. For once he didn't want to rush into the future. He just wanted to linger in the present for as long as possible. Postpone the awkward discomfort he knew he would have around his newly discovered homophobic friend.

Todd had already claimed the front seat of Lance's jeep by the time Pietro shuffled out into the parking lot. Pietro didn't care though; he was in no mood to argue and instead he walked up to the window to talk to Todd. He hid himself behind the young amphibian, hoping not to catch the attention of Lance who was leaning out the driver's side window, engaged in light conversation with Kitty.

"'M gonna walk home," the downy haired boy mumbled to Todd as he approached the passenger side of the beat-up jeep. Lance was still chatting with Kitty, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Pietro breathed a mental sigh of relief and looked back to Todd.

The green eyed boy looked at him funnily. "You okay, 'Tro?"

"Fine. I just want to walk," he said shortly, not wanting to explain further. _'Damn, I hope Lance doesn't bug me about this.'_

"Something wrong, Pietro?" Lance's voice came from the driver's side. Apparently his crush had noticed him standing there.

Pietro just shook his head, staring intently at the door handle. "Gonna walk," he repeated before quickly turning around and leaving his friends with puzzled looks on their faces.

Lance looked at Todd who shrugged. _'That was weird,_' Lance thought to himself as he turned his attention back to Kitty who was merrily chatting away. Lance politely excused himself, saying something about having to go shake things up.

She giggled at his lame, well-used pun. "Okay then! Like, call me tonight?" She batted her eyes at him, innocently.

"Maybe. I dunno. We'll see," Lance shrugged as he put the Jeep into gear and drove away, leaving Kitty to find her ride with Scott. Kitty was nice enough, and Lance didn't mind talking to her; he just didn't like how clingy she could be at times.

Turning the jeep onto the main road, the brotherhood drove past Pietro's solitary form walking along the sidewalk. _'What the hell is up with Pietro?'_ Lance wondered, seeing the fair-haired youth and wondering about his odd behaviour. He hadn't seen the boy all day, and when he did see him at lunch, Pietro was reserved and left as soon as he was done eating. Lance had tried to find his friend before class to see what was bothering him, but couldn't find him anywhere. It seemed almost as if his friend was avoiding him for some reason, but he was clueless as to why.

Lance pulled the jeep up to a stoplight and waited for the light to change. His mind was busy trying to figure out why his, normally hyperactive friend, was being sullen and quiet when he was startled by a loud car that pulled up along side him. Glancing over Lance saw Duncan Matthews with a convertible full of his football buddies. A few faces he recognized from classes; Greg Adams and some guy named Paul that had given him a hard time in Math class. Lance didn't enjoy spending time with them in school, and would be damned if he had to be around them outside of school. He turned back, trying to ignore them and hoping that the light would change before they said anything to him. No such luck.

"Hey, Alvers!" Duncan called out.

"What?" Lance said, trying to sound as apathetic as possible.

"Have a fight with your boyfriend?" Paul asked in-between chuckles.

"What are you talking about?" Lance shot back as rudely as possible. A million thoughts began racing through Lance's head at once. _'Did they find out about my conversation with Rogue? How could they? They don't know about me. I'm straight, damnit. Why did I tell Rogue anything? I thought I was going to keep it secret! Did she tell them?'_ Lance quickly dismissed the thought with a light chuckle. Rogue wouldn't be caught dead talking to Paul. He gave her a hard time every time he saw her. Lance put on his best scowl and glared at the red head.

"We saw that little fag of yours walking home all by himself. What's the matter, Alvers? He not putting out?" Greg chimed in maliciously.

"Who the hell are you talking about?" Now Lance was confused.

"Maximoff you freak!" The red haired football player yelled, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yeah! That guy is such a queer!" Greg yelled out high-fiving Paul and adding to the already hyper-intelligent conversation.

Lance scowled at the boy; hatred for their words burning in his eyes.

"Hehe, yeah! One of these days we're gonna kick the shit outta that little faggot of yours, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Duncan called over to the Jeep while shifting the gears of his car. The Brotherhood members glared at the car full of grinning faces, none of them making a move as the laughter from the convertible grew. The light finally turned green and the convertible sped off with screeching wheels and a chorus of 'Fag' and 'Queer' being yelled above the noise.

"They're getting away!" Todd yelled, indicating that they should race after them. Lance, didn't make a move. Instead, his features became deadly serious as he furrowed his brows in concentration to reach his powers out to bridge the distance between his Jeep and Duncan's car. After a few moments, the ground ahead of them started moving; parked cars began to shake slightly and a large crack began to form in the ground under the Jeep. The fissure shot like a light from the force of Lance's command towards the helpless convertible. The road broke apart beneath the wheels of the car and left the vehicle immoveable. A lamppost then came crashing down on the trunk of the car, drawing yells of surprise and horror from the occupants of the car.

Lance opened his eyes to witness the result of his anger. A large split in the ash vault was visible and several storefront windows had broken, along with fallen lampposts and one demolished car belonging to Duncan Matthews.

There were several civilians who were picking themselves up off the ground, thankful that the earthquake had not been more severe. None of them seemed to suspect that the tremors had been an un-natural occurrence. Greg was climbing out of the convertible, visibly shaken while Paul sat in his seat stunned. Duncan, on the other hand, was cursing loudly as he jumped out of the drivers seat to inspect the damage that had been inflicted on his car.

With a small smirk of satisfaction, Lance reached down and casually shifted the Jeep into gear. He drove by Duncan and his friends, fully ignoring them. Freddy, on the other hand, shoved a muscular arm out the window and flipped them the bird while holding onto Todd with the other arm as the amphibious youth leaned out the window to slime the hood of the car. "Stupid jerks!" he yelled, before settling back into his seat.

"They better hope that I can't grab them the next time!" Freddy huffed, cracking his knuckles.

"There won't BE a next time," Lance said. The younger brotherhood members waited for him to elaborate, but were met with silence. Lance was visibly upset by what had been said about him and Pietro, and neither Todd nor Freddy knew what to say.

'_So THAT is why Pietro was all upset!'_ Lance's mind buzzed. _'They must have been bugging him all day. Damn! Those guys are so stupid!'_ Lance began entertaining thoughts of getting back at Duncan in one way or another. He was in the middle of fantasizing about emptying a pack of crazy glue into the blonde's gym shorts when he was pulled back to reality by Todd yelling at him.

"Hey, yo! You missed our house!" Todd's green eyes were looking out the window at their house as it disappeared from view.

"Oh, sorry," Lance apologized and began to make a U-Turn. "I was thinking about things."

"Well, don't do it while driving, yo! You're going to get us killed, man!"

"Hmmm," Lance mumbled and pulled the Jeep into the driveway. He turned it off and climbed out without another word. _'Ugh! I do need a shower!'_ he thought. Using his powers always drained him and he was all sweaty and gross as a result of showing up the jocks. The house was only slightly cooler than outside and Lance began peeling off his clothes on the way to the bathroom. Todd and Freddy exchanged odd looks before deciding to continue the trek-a-thon that was on the Space channel all week.

Lance was down to his boxers when he got to the bathroom. He flung open the door in a mad dash for the cold-water tap and nearly fell over when he found that the room was already occupied. "Oh! Sorry Pietro!" he exclaimed, hiding his eyes in embarrassment. He nearly fell over himself while trying to turn around and get out of the bathroom as quickly as possible. The spectacle would have been highly entertaining if Pietro hadn't been totally mortified at being seen in the tub. He barely had a chance to say anything as Lance quickly closed the door and beat a hasty retreat.

With nothing else to do, Lance walked to his room to kill time until he could get his shower. The humidity was making his entire body sticky and gross, and Lance hoped that Pietro would hurry the hell up so he could get in there. He had half a mind to move the boy out of the tub and hop in himself. Lance grumbled as he flopped down onto his bed. "I'll never complain about cold weather again!" He vowed, wincing as a headache began to form. The heat always increased the severity of his headaches, which were bad to begin with. Lance closed his eyes and tried to rest while ignoring the pain growing in his temples.

x-+-x

He didn't know how long he lay there, but the next thing he was aware of was the hard stone floor under his feet as he ran through a labyrinth. The stony walls towered over him on both sides as he ran down a passageway that seemed to stretch on forever. He could see passages that would appear on either side of him as he ran, but he stuck to the main path. He didn't know when he had started running, or if he was chasing or being chased by something. The only thing he knew was that he must hurry! His mind pushed him forward with screams of urgency. The ground began sloping downward as he continued on the path into the bowels of the earth. The sky disappeared and was replaced by a ceiling of earth. He was underground! A passage appeared to his left, and instinctively Lance turned down this new path and quickened his pace. His body was screaming at him to slow down, his joints protesting this new punishment. Suddenly the path began to descend at an even greater angle and Lance was forced to reduce his speed.

The pain began to recede, but he did not care; he was close now. Lance quieted his breath and crept along the passage, careful to not make a sound. What seemed like an eternity passed and Lance started to become complacent with the situation before a sound made his heart in jump into his throat. The sound of laughter rang out from an entranceway, only now dimly visible further ahead in the passage as others joined the deep echoing in a chorus of laughter and shouts. Lance inched along the path, his back to the wall. Those voices were not that of humans. A dark aura of fear permeated the air each time those creatures spoke, making Lance all the more wary of the situation.

Cautiously Lance peeked around the corner of the opening before quickly pulling back with fright. Several large creatures were sitting around a fire. The flames leaped high and licked at the ceiling of this underground room. The creatures were speaking in some language that Lance did not recognize and they kept gesturing to a corner of the room. Straining to see in the shadows, Lance could see the outline of a person shackled to the wall. "Pietro!" he yelled when he saw his friend at the mercy of these creatures. He took two steps into the room, wanting to help his friend, but he quickly saw that his outburst had unfortunately alerted the creatures to his presence and they turned towards him.

"How sweet! Fresh meat!" one exclaimed in an oddly familiar voice as they all began to advance on him while another howled with laughter and took a running charge at him. Lance ducked out of the way at the last minute and sent the large beast flying into the wall. With one creature down Lance now turned his attention to the remaining two. He still didn't like his chances, but he had to do something! He focused his mind, trying to draw any amount of rock down upon these demons, but nothing happened. A rumbling sound could be heard in the distance, but nothing more. "Wha…?" Lance asked, looking at his hands.

"You shouldn't have come here, Lance!" A voice said next to his ear. Lance turned his head to look, but nothing was there. Everything had suddenly disappeared, leaving Lance in a void of nothingness. He wasn't even sure if he was standing or floating.

"What the hell do you want!" he yelled at the darkness, panic setting in. He didn't like this one bit. Laughter assailed his ears then, and the void consumed any echo and rendered the sound mute the moment it reached his ears.

"You cannot save him." another voice taunted him. "You haven't the courage!" whispered from the darkness behind him.

"What are you talking about!" Lance demanded. "Who!"

"Pietro," came the reply. "He will be lost to you," the voices were becoming high-pitched. "Forget about Pietro," they squealed before turning into screams of glee.

"What have you done to him? Where is he?" Lance shouted above the noise, truly confused as to what was going on.

A bolt of light flashed brightly before Lance's eyes and when he opened them he was on solid ground again. "Pietro?" he called out cautiously. He didn't know where the creatures had gone, and didn't want to get their attention again. He wondered what to do next when a soft glow appeared to his right drawing him closer. The closer he got, the warmer the air was, full of a warm scent that Lance was sure that he recognized. "Pietro?" he called again, growing bolder this time. He could somehow sense that there was no more danger. He liked the aroma this place had; it was warm. He breathed deeply, inviting the scent into his lungs.

x-+-x

"Pietro… Hmmmm?" Lance lifted his face from the pillow where he had buried it. He opened an eye to look at the clock, the offensive green numbers showing him that it was 4:36pm. "Ugh…. weird dream…" Lance mumbled intelligently as his thoughts were slow to focus and he stumbled out of his bed and down the hall to the bathroom. He walked into the small room, seeing that it was now vacant and closed and locked the door behind him, not wanting anyone to burst in on him. He peeled off his boxers and started a shower for himself.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he stepped under the cool spray of the shower. Lance began to let his mind wander as he let the water rush over him, cooling his heated skin. A grin spread over his face as he could feel his long hair spread down his back in a chestnut wave of silk. _'So relaxing…'_ he sighed.

Suddenly a frown twisted Lance's handsome features as thoughts of his encounter with Paul and Duncan instantly ruined his relaxed mood. _'Those stupid jerks!'_ Lance thought, clenching his fists. _'They probably said something to Pietro to make him all upset…it sure as hell pissed me off!'_ Lance angrily grabbed the shampoo and began squeezing the last drops from the bottle, growing angrier as the stubborn liquid refused to cooperate. Frustrated, he grabbed a bottle of Pietro's shampoo and started squeezing copious amounts onto his palm, hoping that his friend wouldn't mind him borrowing any. Once he was satisfied that he'd taken enough shampoo he returned the bottle and began to run his fingers through his hair, all the while trying to figure out how to cheer Pietro up. By the end of his shower, Lance still had no idea what to do with his friend and was even more frustrated with the incident earlier that day. _'Guess I'll go talk to him,'_ Lance sighed to himself and wrapped a towel around his damp body before going out to look for his friend. _'I'll figure something out,'_ he reassured himself as he opened the bathroom door. He wanted to take care of things before he lost his nerve.

_**End Chapter 08**_


	9. Chapter 09

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 09  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

Lance walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway, thoughts of how to approach Pietro buzzing through his mind. He didn't know what those jerks had said to Pietro earlier and he didn't want to say anything that could upset his younger friend anymore. Lance sighed, not looking forward to the potentially awkward conversation that he had resolved to have. He opened the door to his room and decided to start rummaging around through the piles of dirty clothes. He needed something that wasn't too offensive to wear before talking to the downy haired speed-demon.

After a good fifteen minutes of searching, Lance managed to pull out a pair of faded, holey jeans and black shirt. He looked at the only clean clothes he owned and decided that doing laundry would be a good thing. Tomorrow.

As Lance pulled on his jeans, his mind wandered back to the dream he'd had earlier that afternoon. Those demons had been creepy, but he had been really horrified when he'd seen Pietro at their mercy. He'd never seen his friend like that; helpless, chained, terrified… he had wanted nothing more than to save him, take him away, get him out of the grasp of those demons and whatever horrors they had intended upon his lithe body. Lance briefly wondered if there were some connection between Duncan and the monsters in his dream. Oh, there was a possibility, but he didn't really believe in dream reading. He quickly dismissed it as having been brought about by the heat and his worries about his friend. Those voices, however, kept nagging at the back of his mind. _'What did they mean by saying that Pietro was lost?'_Lance wondered. _'It doesn't make any sense!'_

Lance could still hear their wicked voices echoing in his mind as he wandered around the Brotherhood boarding house. The laughter seemed to mock him as he failed to find Pietro in any of the small, dirty rooms. He stumbled upon Todd and Freddy who were sitting in the kitchen, seemingly in a serious discussion, although he doubted that Todd could be serious for too long.

"Hey guys," he announced, as he leaned against the doorframe leading into the small room. "Have you guys seen Pietro?"

"Uh…" Todd trailed off.

"Small guy, right?" Freddy jumped in. "White hair? Talks a mile a minute? Uh, yeah… I have seen a guy like that… he lives here, doesn't he?" Freddy gave Todd a questioning look, appearing to expect a serious answer. He was able to maintain the semblance of a straight face, while Todd, on the other hand, was busy repressing laughter behind his webbed fingers.

Lance rolled his eyes as he stepped into the kitchen to lean over the table at the duo. "I'm serious guys," he said past a grin. "I need to talk to him. It's important."

"Oh well, in that case," Todd said, giggling. "We don't know. We haven't seen him since he left an hour ago."

"Well, we assumed it was him leaving." Freddy added. "He didn't say anything to us. We only heard the door slam."

"Uh-huh." Lance nodded, growing somewhat distressed. He'd have to wait until later to talk to Pietro, and he was sure that he'd have lost his nerve by then. "Well, if you see him around, could you let me know? He's been acting kinda weird lately and I wanted to talk to him."

"Will do, yo!" Todd smiled at him before turning his attention to Freddy and the book they had been working with before being interrupted.

Lance left his friends in the kitchen and decided to look again to be sure that Pietro wasn't around. He wasn't in the TV room and a brief look outside confirmed that he'd officially taken off.

"Damnit…" Lance halfheartedly swore under his breath as he flopped down on his bed. "Guess I'm gonna have to wait to talk to him then." He stared up at the ceiling, not really thinking of anything in particular before he remembered his dream. _'What the hell was that, anyways? I've never seed Pietro like that. It was freaky,'_ Lance shivered at the image. It had been so vivid and Pietro had been so beaten and broken, but the look on Pietro's face is what had cut through to Lance's heart. Those eyes were begging him for help… or was it something more? Lance swore again, sitting upright and shifting to look out his window. _'Where the hell could he be…'_ Lance weighed his options. He could go about looking outside for Pietro, but knew that his chances of finding the speed-demon were slim at best. His best bet would be to wait until Pietro returned home on his own. In the meantime, Lance mused, he could at least be productive and do laundry.

x-+-x

Lance could see the setting sun through the dirty glass in the laundry room. The last load was in the dryer and his stomach began to grumble as he wondered what would be done about dinner. He wandered into the kitchen and found Freddy whipping up something that smelled good but looked awful. "What IS that, man?" he asked, jokingly pinching his nose for effect as he leaned over the pot to inspect its contents. He gave Freddy a wide grin and slapped him on the shoulder before gracefully flopping into a chair. "I'm kidding, man," he added when he saw the look on Freddy's face. "It smells good, it just looks… er, different. What is it?"

Freddy grinned and turned back to tend to his creation. "It's… a surprise," he said. Lance could hear the grin spread across the large mutant's face, even though his back was turned.

"Well, when do we get to eat?" Todd asked as he walked into the room. "I'm starving!"

"Pretty soon, guys. Hey, have you guys seen Pietro?" Freddy looked at his friends, hoping that their little speed-demon buddy had returned by now.

"Nah, man," Todd said, his full attention focused on writing in a conspicuous looking book. "He'll turn up anyways, he always does."

"Yeah… I guess you're right, Todd," Lance sighed. "I just wanted to talk to him about today. Duncan pissed me off, I think they pissed Pietro off too… I just wanted to make sure that he's okay."

The three brotherhood members ate their dinner in silence. It was a wonderful supper, but their thoughts were focused on their missing friend. Normally none of them would admit to worrying about anybody other than themselves, but their situation had thrown them all together and they'd grown to like each other. It was the closest thing to a family that any of them had ever had. When one of them hurt, they all hurt. When one of them was in trouble, they all helped out, despite the fact that more often than not, it got them into plenty of trouble with the Xmen. The brotherhood was nothing if not stubborn.

Lance announced that he was going to bed early and said goodnight to his friends as he got up from the table and left the kitchen. He needed to clear his thoughts, and the heat from the stove was causing the beginnings of a headache to tingle in his temples. His room was nice and cool as he walked over to the window, leaning out and breathing in some night air. It was a moonless night and the only light outside came from the stars and streetlamps.

Lance stared at the landscape until his eyes adjusted to the dark. The barren lawn of the boardinghouse and the few trees that dotted the border of the property were dark but they seemed to contain even darker shadows within, moving with the wind. Lance looked harder at the trees, the shadows dancing among the leaves seemed to blur and blend together the more he concentrated. He could have sworn that he had seen a patch of white dancing among those shadows, but he looked again and it was gone. Shaking his head he peeled off his clothes and crawled into bed, pulling a thin sheet over his body. He lay there in the dark for several minutes, his thoughts revolving around his pale, elfish friend who seemed to be the centre of his focus over the past few days. Moments later, his eyes slid shut and he drifted into an uneasy sleep with familiar dreams.

**_End Chapter 9_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 10  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

Pietro crouched among the trees that dotted the property line of the brotherhood house. He was tired of running. For the first time in his life he just wanted to go home, to his family. Even though he wasn't sure if his family would accept him for who he was, he was so tired he just wanted to return to something familiar. He watched the house as Lance looked out at the trees near where he was hiding. He held his breath and backed further into the undergrowth. He knew that there would be no way that Lance could see him, but his apprehension over talking to his friend tonight was making him overly cautious. Moments later he saw Lance turn from the window and retreat further into his room. Pietro took that as his sign that the coast was clear and zipped over to the back door of the house.

The door creaked open revealing the darkened laundry room, no doubt strewn with cleaning supplies and baskets of clothes long overdue for a wash. Pietro took several tentative steps into the room, hoping he didn't trip over anything as the light switch was just out of his reach across the room. After what felt like forever, for someone who lived their life on the fast track, Pietro finally managed to reach the door to the rest of the house. He listened at the door, hoping that everyone had gone to bed for the night. Silence greeted his ears and he slowly opened the door to the hallway, peaking his head out a fraction. He was alone. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door with more ease, stepping quietly along the hall and being sure to avoid the creaking floorboards. He climbed the stairs and turned the corner to the hallway when he heard Lance's door open and quickly ducked into the bathroom as the dark haired mutant rushed past him. He waited as he listened to Lance walk down the hall to Todd's room and knock on the door. He leaned closer to the doorway, straining to listen as Lance told Todd that he was going out to look for Pietro.

The downy haired mutant wondered why Lance would bother to go out this late to look for him when he'd disappeared like this before and nobody had cared. He stepped out into the hallway as Lance hurried down the stairs to grab his keys. He would talk to Lance now; his courage suddenly very strong and his prior apprehension fading away.

x-+-x

Lance grabbed his keys, a look of worry etched across his normally cool features. What if something bad had happened to Pietro? He had been willing to just go to sleep and wait until morning to look for his friend. What if it was too late by then?

As soon as he'd gone to sleep his dreams had been the same as before; with Pietro chained by some beasts, and him being unable to do anything to save him. This time, however, Pietro had managed to fight back, but the demons had transformed into a black smog and enveloped him causing him to scream out in terror. Lance learned quickly that they were fear incarnate when they hit him too, knocking the wind out of him and sending him reeling with anxiety and apprehension. It all flashed past his eyes so quickly that he barely had a chance to understand what was going on. Images of himself being beaten up by the bullies in his old school. He was much younger and they were shouting things that he hadn't understood then, but knew all too well now.

'_Fag!' 'Ya fucking freak!' 'Why don't you go home and cry to mommy, fag!'_ Their insults didn't hurt as much as their fists did and he had been too small to do anything except curl into a ball and hope for them to stop.

"Pietro!" he had cried, breaking free of the creatures grip and sitting upright in bed; drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. "Fuck, what was a I thinking!" he yelled at himself as he jumped out of bed. He had dressed quickly, his resolve set to go out and look for Pietro, even if it took all night.

Now he was rushing across the lawn towards his Jeep, completely unsure of where he was going and praying to whatever god that listened that it had only been a bad dream. He was reaching to put the keys in the ignition when he heard the door to the house close. He looked up and saw Pietro walking over to him. "Pietro!" he called, unbelievably relieved that his friend was there. He hopped out of the Jeep and rushed over to him. "Are you okay, man?" he asked, reaching out to hug his friend; not caring if it seemed weird to the other boy or not.

x-+-x

Pietro stiffened as Lance's strong arms closed around him. He had no idea why the other mutant was so high strung, or why he'd been out this late or even why he was now hugging him. He thought better of taking it as a sign to make a move on his friend and calmly waited for the other boy to end the embrace. It felt like forever before Lance released him and looked into his eyes. _'God, this is going to be more difficult than I thought,'_ Pietro suddenly realized, losing his nerve.

"Sorry, Pietro," Lance started. "I, uh, I was worried about you, man. I wanted to talk to you about something, but hadn't seen you all day. I, uh," he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I think I know what's been bugging you. I kinda ran into Duncan today and, well, don't fucking listen to him, man. He says shit, but he doesn't know what he's talking about. I don't know what he said to you, but if it was anything like what he said to me… just forget it man."

Pietro looked up at his friend, confused for a moment before he remembered. Duncan had driven by him; his comments hadn't been kind and had only made him even more miserable about his situation with Lance. "Ah, well," he began, deciding to get it over with. "Don't worry about it. That's not really why I'm upset anyways. Y'see, it's like this," he took a deep breath, unable to look in his friends eyes, instead looking intently at the ground between them. "I'm gay. I know you don't like that kind of thing, and you don't have to worry about me making a pass at you or anything but I thought you should know before you hear it from anyone else," he said the words as quickly as possible and kept his eyes locked on his shoes. He tensed his muscles, subconsciously preparing for any backlash he might get from Lance. He'd always known he was gay, but had never really come out and told anybody. Evan had known, but it was more like he'd always known since they'd been friends for years.

Pietro waited for Lance to react. To say something. Hit him even! Anything to break the silence between them because it was driving the younger boy insane. He stood there for long minutes that felt longer and waited, his shoes becoming increasingly captivating. He could feel that the other boy was standing in front of him; staring, and he felt his face burn as he began to wish he hadn't said anything. He was about to dismiss the conversation when he felt it. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Lance leaned in and grabbed Pietro's chin in his hand, tilting his face up to look into his chocolate brown eyes. "Now where would you get the idea that I'd be mad at you if I knew you were gay?" he asked, his tone deadly serious as he spoke.

Pietro could see a fire burning in his eyes and he wondered exactly what was going on. "Does it really matter? Do you or don't you care that I'm gay?" he asked, his usual cocky nature returning. The other boy looked at him, the anger disappearing from his eyes and replaced with a sort of thoughtful look. _'I could get lost in those… no, I really should stop, I-!'_ Pietro's thoughts were cut off as Lance closed the distance between them and gently kissed him. It was chaste and over before Pietro realized what it was.

"I may not like you when you're being a cocky bastard," Lance said, holding his face to look at him. "And I may hate you when you're a prick, but don't you think for a minute that I'd hate you for anything else, Pietro. If that's why you've been all depressed lately, then stop it because your source is wrong." He squeezed Pietro's jaw slightly before releasing it and walking past him to the house, leaving the silver haired youth with a stunned expression.

**_  
End Chapter 10_**


	11. Chapter 11

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 11  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend) 

'_He… kissed me? What is he trying to say!'_ Pietro became more and more confused as he thought about what had just happened. His quick temper was rising as he began to wonder if Lance was fucking with him or trying to tell him something more meaningful. His anger grew as he paced about in front of the house, as only he could pace. _'Shit, that bastard must be fucking with me!'_ his normally attractive features twisting into something more sinister. He marched up to the house, deciding that he wasn't going to let Lance away from him that easily. He opened the door, and sped up the stairs where Lance had been moments before.

x-+-x

'_What did I do that for?'_ Lance scolded himself as he paced around his room. _'Did I have to prove my point by kissing him? I mean, I like him, sure, but… aww, he'll probably think the wrong thing about me and...'_ A knocking sound startled him, making him spin around and, subconsciously brace for a fight as he looked towards the source of the sound. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath as he walked over to the door. "Yeah?" he asked, leaning lightly against the wall.

"Lance? I need to talk to you," Pietro's voice was commanding as it drifted through the cracks in the doorframe.

"Ah, can't it wait, man?" Lance knew from the tone in the speed-demon's voice that he wouldn't back down, but he thought it wouldn't hurt to try anyways. He really wasn't in the mood to talk about what he knew had brought his friend directly to his door.

"Let me in, Lance. I'm not going to leave, and I won't talk to you like this." Pietro was getting louder and spoke faster the longer her stood out there. Lance unlocked his door and opened it before Pietro raised his voice any more. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Todd and Freddy with their confrontation and knew that he probably couldn't avoid it anyways.

Lance looked at the elfin youth, putting on his best annoyed expression. "Fine, then. C'mon in," he stepped aside and let the pale boy walk past him before he closed the door behind him. He leaned back against the door, his arms folded over his chest and stared at his friend. He wasn't going to say much until he heard Pietro say something first. He knew why his friend was there, and he didn't even know the answers to the questions that were coming.

"Why'd you do it, huh?" Pietro spoke fast, obviously fazed by what had happened. "I mean, I tell you I'm gay and you kiss me? I mean, are you patronizing me? Fucking with my mind? What's the fucking deal man?"

"Look, Pietro," Lance said, trying to calm his friend down before he had a fit. "I'm not sure, okay? It just seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess. I'm not patronizing you, and I'm not the type to fuck with people's minds. Shit, you know that. I just wanted to show… that I, uh, care, really." The words sounded fucked up and fake as he spoke them, and he figured that Pietro probably wouldn't believe them when he heard it.

Pietro glared at him. "Bullshit," he spat, getting more agitated. "People usually hug you, or put a hand on your shoulder if they want to show that. Don't you see that it's fucking me up? It's not that I'm gay, Lance. I love you! At first I thought it was some stupid crush that I could just ignore and it would go away, but it didn't. Then I heard that you hate gays and then when I decide to tell you anyways you kiss me and say it's okay? Fuck it! I don't like being messed with, man. I don't care why you did it. Yeah, I did love you, but if you're going to be this way, then I change my mind. I fucking hate you."

Lance uncrossed his arms and quickly closed the distance between them. "Sit down," he commanded, pushing the smaller boy onto his bed. "Stop being like that. You're jumping to conclusions. I don't know why I kissed you then, alright?" he loomed over the younger boy. "I just… I just wanted to show you that I cared. I didn't want to hug you or put my hand on your shoulder to do it. Those felt like they would be too weak and I needed…" he paused then, not really sure of where his speech was going. He looked into Pietro's eyes; they were regarding him with some suspicion but the hate that had filled them moments before was gone.

Lance screwed up his courage and leaned in closer to his friend; giving him plenty of time to object to his actions. The younger boy leaned back slightly as Lance's face drew nearer, but he stopped and allowed the older boy to kiss him. This time Lance did not pull away, instead letting his lips rest lightly upon Pietro's. Moments later he drew his hand up to the boy's shoulder to hold him in place and he parted his lips. He first suckled on the boy's upper lip before letting his tongue slip out to play along the closed entrance of Pietro's mouth.

He briefly wondered if he was doing the right thing when the silver haired youth opened his mouth to kiss him back. Their tongues began a tentative exploration, gently twining together before parting to be dragged across teeth and lips. Lance melted into the touch, letting Pietro's fingers dance along his sides before wrapping around his back to pull him down onto the bed. He splayed himself out over top of the younger boy, propping himself up on his elbows to continue their kiss with new fervor. Things were going along so quickly for them and he didn't want it to stop; he was so painfully aroused and his mind was buzzing with pleasure. Through his haze he could tell Pietro was in no better shape than he was as he felt a lump pressing into his hip. He smirked as he ground into it, eliciting a moan from the boy below him. "Pietro," he gasped, breaking their kiss for a moment and licking up the boy's jaw. "I-ah, I really should have told you-ah!-what I really felt," he gasped, sliding his hands over his friend's body; grasping, pinching, clawing at whatever he could through the material of the younger boy's shirt. "I-" he tried to continue before he was cut off.

Pietro had reached up and was gently holding his face in his hands, "Man? Whatever. So Evan heard wrong. Just as long as you don't stop, I'll forget everything else." The younger boy pulled Lance down for another kiss; sealing their mouths together as the older boy skillfully pushed his shirt up and out of the way to have access to his nipples. Lance straddled the younger mutant and pressed his palms flat as he ran them over the bared flesh, his fingertips pinching at the hardened nipples. He worked them into tight nubs, twisting and flicking at them until Pietro began to moan beneath him, mindlessly tugging at the older boy's clothing.

Lance pulled back to take his own shirt off and helped Pietro remove his own, before sitting back to take in the sight. Pietro was usually pale, but now his cheeks were flushed with blood, his lips parted and swollen from his kisses. The boy's eyes were smoldering orbs, burning into his own and telling him that if he didn't hurry up that he would be in big trouble. Lance took the cue and flattened his hands out over Pietro's chest, letting them trail out over the exposed skin, down his arms, and across his stomach before teasing along the boy's waist and the prize that lay just behind a barrier of cloth. "'Tro," Lance breathed, looking into his friend's eyes. "Are you sure you want this? I don't think I could stop myself after this point if I tried." His fingers danced around the material of Pietro's pants, teasing; sometimes slipping beyond the waistband for a moment to delve into the warmth beyond. "Pietro?" he asked, sliding a hand over the zipper. The white haired boy said nothing, instead reaching down to close his hand over his friend's and guide him to loosen his jeans.

**_  
End Chapter 11_**


	12. Chapter 12

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 12  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

In order to keep this fic at an M rating, I have cut the sex scene from this section of the story.

**You have two options:**

Please proceed to chapter 13 if you have no interest in reading it or are under the age of 18.

If you would like to read it, please go to my profile to get the links to this story at either my writing journal (on livejournal) or on adultfanfiction. net


	13. Chapter 13

** Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 13  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

Darkness was all around him and Lance wondered exactly where he was. It felt as if he were standing on concrete or something equally as solid. He couldn't feel any walls around him but his senses told him that the space was vast. "Hello?" he called out. _'Where the hell am I? Where's Pietro?'_ The echo of his voice resounded all around him and he covered his ears as it became louder and more deafening. A few moments passed before it began to fade away and he took a few tentative steps forward; his feet making little sound over the ground.

After traveling a short distance he stopped, realizing he didn't know where he was going or if he was actually making any progress in getting there. Sighing, he looked around to try and see something, anything, in the darkness. For all he knew he was blind and was in the middle of the most brightly lit room in existence. "Hello?" he tried calling, covering his ears as the echo started up again. This was unnatural. It wasn't real. It couldn't be any place that existed in the real world. Sound didn't behave that way in reality. Lance wasn't much for theories or science, but he had watched enough television to reason that he might have been transported somewhere else. Somewhere else, or… _'Dreaming! I must be dreaming… maybe I could…'_ he closed his eyes and concentrated; trying to change something about the place he was in. When he opened them he was in a brightly lit chamber.

The floor beneath his feet was black marble; veins of sliver ran through the dark surface that spread out around him and beyond his field of vision. It was a vacant sea of black underneath a blue light that hovered in the middle of an equally empty sky. "Alright," he sighed aloud. "So I'm dreaming, but I still don't know where the hell I am," he grumbled, straining to look all around him. The expanse of the place was overwhelming and all too real for the perplexed dreamer as he desperately searched for something to focus on. He closed his eyes again as he felt himself begin to panic. _'Alright, what's going on here? Where's Pietro?'_ he was sure that Pietro had been there with him, but he couldn't remember when the other boy had left. He opened his eyes to take in the expanse of the room. "Pietro!" he called out.

He was expecting his voice to echo uncontrollably as it had before and covered his ears as it started up. He knew he'd develop a nasty headache if he didn't resolve this situation soon and tried to figure out what to do next. He waited for the echo to die down, wondering that the hell was going on and where Pietro might be. He might have been able to create light out of darkness, but his control wasn't absolute. Not in this place.

He seemed to remember something like this happening to him before, but he couldn't remember. He knew he had to find Pietro before he left, but a voice at the back of his mind began to question his motives. Was he only concerned for a friend? A lover? Shouldn't he just leave Pietro behind and save himself? That option was dismissed as soon as it formed into thought. He'd never leave Pietro behind! He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that. _'Leaving him behind would be safer, Lance,'_ the voice purred in his head.

The light that had been so bright before was fading to a dull glow as the voice in his head spoke, seeming sucking the life out of the place and causing the ground to shake. Clusters of rock rose through the floor and formed walls all around him, molding together and creating a ceiling of stone above his head. Lance suddenly felt very closed in as he realized he was in a passageway with many chambers breaking off on all sides of him. The open chamber that had once overwhelmed him had transformed into an underground tunnel. He began to wish for the power to wake from it all as the little voice at the back of his head became louder and more insistent. _'There's no reason to worry about him. What do you think will happen?'_ it purred sinisterly. _'That you'll save him and you two will live happily ever after? You know that'll never happen! Can you be happy with him? It would be far safer to like Kitty Pryde. Much safer that people don't know the real you.'_ "Shut up!" he yelled, covering his ears to try and block its mocking laugh. "I don't care! It doesn't matter! I'll save him, damnit!" The laughter grew in pitch and volume, rising to a deafening screech as Lance bolted, running along the tunnel to escape the maddening sound.

The ground beneath his feet sloped downwards, taking him deeper beneath the surface of the earth. The further he went, the less the noise became until it left him completely. It was instead replaced by a lower, more ominous rumbling that echoed along the tunnel walls from deeper within. The path did not end, but led him further and further into the bowels of the dream; his legs never slowing their fast pace as he raced into uncertainty. Openings appeared on all sides, but he stayed true to his path, familiar with it as if he'd traveled along it before. An opening appeared to his left and he instinctively turned down this new path as he rushed to reach his goal. The steep slope of this new tunnel forced him to slow down drastically, lest he tumble all the way to the bottom and make his presence known to whatever was making that inhuman noise. He shivered, the darkness around him growing in pitch as the terrible noises struck fear into his soul. Everything began making sense to him. It was too familiar and he knew he'd find Pietro when he got to the room at the end. The voice of doubt in the back of his mind was strangely silent which did little to ease his fears as the strange voices beyond grew louder.

Lance pressed his back to the cold stone as he approached an archway in the wall. He held his breath and peeked around the corner into the chamber beyond, somehow knowing what he would find within. The first thing the rock tumbler saw caused his breath to catch in his throat and he prayed that he had not been spotted as he ducked his head back within the shadows. Three extremely large creatures were sitting around a fire that burned fiercely in the centre of the barren chamber. Every time they spoke the air around them seemed to thicken with fear and Lance froze in place, unable to move as a sick terror sank into his skin. His brain was screaming at him to run away but he wasn't sure if it was the voice of doubt or his common sense telling him to flee. It didn't matter either way as he couldn't even move his feet from where he stood if he'd wanted to. He knew these creatures. He was having a very strong sense of deja-vu, like he'd been here before and this had already happened.

Despite the fear that weighted heavily upon him and made his body feel like lead, Lance peered around the corner once more. This time he saw that Pietro there; was bound and naked on the floor at the feet of the beasts. The older mutant couldn't see if he was alive or even conscious, but the fear that had held him in place so firmly before began to give way to his anger. The air around him reverberated and he could feel the bile rising in his throat as the stone around him broke apart, powerless under the vibrations that his anger brought forth. Lance took a deep breath, turning the corner to face the creatures and rescue his lover.

x-+-x

The moment he entered the room, Lance knew exactly what he should do. The creatures turned to him, guttural roars bellowing from their gaping maws as one of them began to charge him. He ducked out of the way, kicking it in the side as it crashed into the wall behind him and he turned to face the remaining monsters. They stood on the far side of the fire, whereas Pietro was closest to him. Lance briefly thought of grabbing his friend and running, but knew that he should defeat his opponents first. He didn't know what condition Pietro was in and jostling him in a frantic escape attempt might only wound him further. He could sense the creature behind him recovering and he found himself in a bad situation as he was surrounded with no escape.

The fear descended upon him again as the monsters began talking to each other in their foreign tongue. He had no idea what they were saying but their laughter filled his ears and brought a sickening feeling to his stomach. A few moments passed before the creatures seemed to finish their conversation, one beginning to speak to him in English as the remaining two laughed in their dark voices. "You can leave, but you can't bring him with you," it said. "You can only be safe if you leave him behind. We will kill you if you are with him."

"No!" Lance yelled, confused and angry at the option laid out before him. "I won't leave him behind! Who the hell are you? What do you want?" he stepped closer to his friend, ready to defend him from anything they had planned.

"Don't you know?" the leader of the creatures asked, it's features twisting into a grotesque grin. "We are fear. We are always with you whenever you are with him," it said, indicating the unconscious form of Pietro. "You can be safe if you leave him behind!"

Lance closed his eyes, his emotions swirling within him. Why were they saying this? Why didn't they just attack him and get it over and done with? There was no way he'd leave Pietro behind with them! "Why the hell do you care?" he shouted above the laughter. "Why don't you just fucking attack me?"

"You just don't understand. If you stay with him then we'll never leave you alone. Do you really care about him that much?" the creature grinned, it's face melting slightly. Pieces of skin were slipping along the contours of its face; dripping off its features in mushy globs like wax under an intense heat.

"What?" Lance was confused. Things were different from last time. "I care…"

"Do you love him?" the creature clarified. The demonic features were melting, revealing the pale, pink human skin beneath. Lance saw that the other creatures were undergoing similar changes; their monstrous bodies melting away to reveal familiar human forms.

"I…" Lance's voice cut off in his throat. He didn't know. If he didn't love Pietro could he leave him behind? Save himself while letting his friend suffer in his place? His memories washed over him, chilling him to the bone as he recalled how his friends had been given a similar option from the bullies at his old school. They had gladly left him, letting the older boys beat him bloody. He'd thought they were his friends, but they had abandoned him. He'd been left alone to realize that nobody cared whether he lived or died. Nobody would mourn if he'd died there. He shook his head, clearing the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "Just let him go!" he yelled as he steeled his resolve. "Don't take him away from me! I won't fucking leave him!" He straightened his back, feeling his powers reverberate through his hands as he tried to keep them under control. The desire to protect his friend swelled inside him and he was ready for the first attack as the creature he'd dodged earlier lunged at him from behind. He caught the thing's body, his hands reverberating in anger. The creature had shed its bestial skin and now appeared to him as Greg Adams, the jock who had taunted him earlier that day. Lance held the things face between his hands, wanting to kill him where he stood. "What the hell are you!" he yelled, punching it repeatedly until his hand was covered with blood. He let the boy drop to the floor with a satisfying thud before turning his attention to the other two creatures. They had also shed their skins and now wore the faces of the other two jerks who had bothered him that day; Duncan and Paul.

The rock tumbler readied himself as Paul lunged at him next, easily side-stepping the attack and grabbing the taller boy by the neck. He used the boy's momentum to throw him into the wall with enough force to knock him out cold. "Why are you here?" he demanded, squaring his shoulders as he turned to face Duncan. He was through playing games.

Duncan smiled, his unnaturally white teeth gleaming in the dark. "You still don't get it," he laughed. "You brought us here! Your fear is like a drug that we can't resist… so sweet…" it grinned, bringing a hand to its face to pick and tear at the flesh there. It tore with short nails at its eye before reaching up to an ear and ripping the skin, pulling it across its face to expose the muscle underneath. Lance didn't look away, not daring to show any emotion to this creature that seemed to live off his fear and discomfort. "We only exist here," it continued picking at an eye. "You give us life and feed us. Your reluctance to leave Pietro will weaken us somewhat, but your inability to fully accept him and who you are is what will make us come out on top in the end."

"What?" Lance asked, still confused. This was getting ridiculous and he had had enough bullshit. He was ready to kill this final thing and get the hell out of there with Pietro in tow.

Duncan finished peeling the flesh from his face, smearing the blood around before wiping it away to reveal yet another face.

"You…" Lance began, stumbling back. This new face was familiar to him yet he hadn't seen it in years, not since he'd left home.

His father stood before him, larger than he remembered and clutching at a bottle like it was vital to his existence. "Goddamn it, ya bastard!" the creature yelled. "I can't believe it! You're a fucking disgrace!" the large man towered over Lance, swinging the bottle at him and spilling its contents on the ground. "I ain't raised no faggot, boy! Git over here so you can see what happens to fairy boys in the real world! I'll teach ya what ya gotta look forward to, ya goddamn bitch!" His father moved with inhuman speed, catching Lance off guard and grabbing his arm.

"Y-you're not my dad! Get off of me!" Lance screamed, pushing the creature away with as much force as he could muster.

The creature appeared unfazed, still wearing his father's cold, drunk expression as it turned its eyes down to Pietro. "This yer boyfriend, huh?" it grinned, reaching down to grab a pale wrist between thick, dirty fingers.

"No! Get the fuck away from him!" Lance yelled, voice wavering with fear. He tried to lunge after the creature, to get between Pietro and his father, but his feet refused to move. He was terrified of the older man, even after all these years he still couldn't stand up to him. _'For christsakes it's not that goddamn bastard! It's not him!'_ he chanted in his mind, trying to convince himself to move, yet his fear gripped him like a vise.

"You can still leave, Lance," his father grinned, mouth drooping to the side. "Forget about Pietro and you can leave and be happy. It's only when you try to be with him that you will feel fear. Your acceptance will come when you forget about him." It's fingers tightened around the thin body, causing Pietro to unconsciously moan from the pain.

Lance looked down at the pale face of his friend-now lover, tears coming to his eyes as he despaired at the situation. It would be so easy to leave and forget about everything, but that just wasn't an option. Lance knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left Pietro behind, even in this dreamscape. He could feel his heart threatening to break as he watched the life being squeezed from his lover, wondering how he would live knowing he'd stood there and let it happen. There was nothing stopping him, just his fear of a man who was in all likelihood dead. All these thoughts raced over and over in his mind, bringing his anger to the surface and overriding all sense of fear that he had. "Let him fucking go!" he yelled, voice sure and deadly. "I don't give a shit what the fuck you are but this is MY goddamn dream and I'll fucking kill you if you hurt him," he stood his ground, the earth breaking apart beneath his feet. "Leaving him behind is not an option so you might as well save your breath because I couldn't live with myself if I did it," he shook as he spoke, taking a few steps towards the creature. "If you want to fight, then do it. I'm right here. You don't scare me. I don't give a rat's ass if I'm accepted or not, because I'm already a fucking outcast anyways! What does it matter? I'm going to kick your ass and then get the hell out of this dream, ya got that? Pops?"

The creature's grin vanished, its eyes betraying its sudden disappointment at the turn of events. It opened its mouth to speak but Lance lunged at it, knocking its feet out from under it and grabbing Pietro as it fell. He scooped the boy up, holding the unconscious form tightly against him as he buried his face into the downy hair, tears slipping from his eyes. After a moment he looked down at the creature, eyes hard again as he lifted his foot and placed it against the throat of his doppelganger father. Its voice gurgled as Lance increased the pressure of his step, fully intending to kill the thing that had caused him so much anguish. It weakly flailed about beneath him, seeming to beg for its life. It was a cold hand on his neck that caused Lance to pause in his actions. The form in his arms had moved and he looked down into the eyes of the only person he cared about in that place. "Pietro! Are you alright?" he asked, voice trembling as he forgot the creature for a moment.

"Lance? You've got me, can we go now?" Pietro's voice was weak, like he was speaking in a dream.

"Mmm, yeah," the older boy nodded, smiling at his lover. He removed his foot from the creature, forgetting all about it and carried Pietro away, back up the passage that he'd come from.

_**  
End Chapter 13**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 14**  
(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

When Lance opened his eyes, he found himself in bed with his arms wrapped tightly around Pietro. The memories of how they came to be in that position were vivid in his mind as well as those of his dream. His eyes were wet and he realized he'd been crying in his sleep, but instead of wiping them away, he buried his face into the soft, white hair of his friend, reveling in the feel of his lover in his arms. He loosened his grip when he felt Pietro move against him, letting the other boy turn to face him.

Pietro grinned before seeming to notice his damp, brown eyes. "You okay, Lance?" The question was simple enough, but Lance couldn't bring himself to speak. He held his lover tighter, suddenly terrified to loose what happiness he'd found in the other boy's arms. "Hey? Man?" Pietro's voice was more insistent this time.

Lance forced a smile on his face. "Just a fucked up dream, man," he whispered, braving to look into the blue orbs that held so many questions for him. _'Why am I being this way? Pietro's going to think I'm a freak!'_ he looked away, quickly wiping his eyes before looking back with a smile. "So…" he trailed off. "Uh, want some breakfast?"

x-+-x

Lance and Pietro ate their breakfast in silence. Having woken up before either of their housemates they had the kitchen to themselves, yet neither of them braved to talk about what happened between them the night before. It was as if mentioning it would break whatever bond of love had grown between them. Lance absently played with his cereal, wondering what Pietro was thinking at that moment and trying to think of what he could say to make everything alright. The opportunity vanished, however, when Freddy popped his head in the kitchen, the smell of food having drawn him from his sleep. Todd followed soon after, because it seemed that where there was Freddy, Todd wasn't far behind. Lance thought he saw the youngest member of the brotherhood giving him knowing looks, but he wasn't sure if he was just misinterpreting Todd's usual morning routine of looking tired off his ass.

x-+-x

The oldest member of the brotherhood regretted climbing out of bed that morning as he started up the jeep to drive everyone to school. If he'd just stayed in bed, next to Pietro, then he would still be comfortable. He would still be safe, and warm and happy and not stuck on the opposite side of the proverbial rift that had come between him and his friend. Did the speed-demon regret their time together? Was he put off by Lance's behaviour that morning? Pietro had told him that he loved him, but did he mean it? More importantly; did Lance feel the same way towards his teammate?

If it hadn't been for Todd and Freddy's chatter coming from the back seat, the ride to school would have been painfully silent. One thing Lance was thankful for was their complete obliviousness to the situation.

x-+-x

Despite the crowded hallways between first and second class, Todd was able to find Freddy without much trouble. The older mutant stood a head above most of the students and his bulky frame was easy to spot. "Freddy! Something's up, yo!" he said, rushing over. The younger mutant was obviously eager to talk to his friend without either of their other teammates present.

"Yeah," the large youth said with a frown. "They changed the menu of the cafeteria. I was looking forward to spaghetti Tuesdays," he looked sadly at his friend, hoping for any kind of moral support that the shorter mutant could offer.

"No, man!" Todd nearly yelled. "I mean with Lance and 'Tro! Man, the walls aren't exactly thin. They got up to something last night. I tried to block most of it out," he said, shuddering at the mental image. "But then they were so cold this morning. I think they're in a fight or something, man."

Freddy appeared to think on this for a moment before jumping slightly as Evan's voice broke out from behind his massive body. "If you guys are going to stand around, try not to do it in the middle of a doorway!" the X-man said, trying to push his way past.

The large mutant stepped aside, letting the lone X-man step past him. "Sorry," he said, sheepishly.

Evan rolled his eyes as he walked past them a short distance before stopping. "Pietro is in a fight with Lance?" he asked, turning slowly and walking back to the two brotherhood members.

"Yeah," Todd said, suspicion written on his face. "What does it matter to you, X-geek?"

Evan gave Todd a look before becoming serious again. "Pietro and I used to be friends. Lets just say that I heard from someone that's in the know that Lance might not approve of some of Pietro's habits… or, well," he paused, looking between the two Brotherhood members. "I'm not going to say shit to you guys because even though Pietro and I aren't friends anymore, it's not my place to say. Lance probably found out something about that guy and hates him for it. Well, I know there is one thing that he'll hate about that speed freak. Fucking ignorant of him, if you ask me."

"You're fucking ignorant, yo!" Todd said, becoming agitated as Evan danced around the issue. "I know what you're talking about, and there is no way that Lance would hate him just for that. We're a team!"

Evan raised an eyebrow. "So, you know? Well, I heard from someone that Lance doesn't like that kind of thing. He'll probably kick Pietro out of your little team, or something," he sniffed. "Not that it really affects me any. It's just that, I mean, it's a shitty reason to be kicked out," he looked between the two mutants that stood before him, speechless. "Well, I gotta go. It's been great talking to you two, and all. Be sure to tall your leader I think he's an even bigger loser now!" He turned to walk to his next class, leaving Freddy and Todd completely at a loss for words.

**_End Chapter 14_**


	15. Chapter 15

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 15**  
(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

Lance had been unable to concentrate during any of his classes. All he could think about was Pietro and the possibility that anything he could have with his friend was slipping away from him. He walked out of his second class into the crowded hallway. Lance rushed past the throngs of people, determined to find his friend and talk about what had happened between them. It may have been awkwardness that kept them from speaking that morning, but he wouldn't let such a little think keep him from talking now.

He rounded a corner in the hallway and stopped in his tracks as he saw that Duncan and his friends had found Pietro first and were busy pushing the younger mutant around. Normally Pietro would have been able to handle himself with six people who were bigger than him and twice as strong, but he couldn't use his powers in such a public place. At best he would probably be hurt badly, even if he did manage to take out two of the six people who surrounded him. Either way, Lance knew that he'd never leave Pietro to fend for himself again. He didn't give his brain a chance to think or protest as he was walked into the throng of elder students, his adrenalin coursing through his veins; readying him for a fight that would in all likelihood end badly. "What's going on here?" he asked, putting the fakest smile he'd ever worn into place as he clenched his fists, keeping them from shaking.

"Oh, look who came to your rescue, ya freak! Is this your boyfriend?" Greg laughed, turning to Duncan to see if he approved of his stupid joke.

"After taking care of this pussy we were going to look for you, anyways. Thanks for making our job easier," Duncan said, cracking his knuckles. "You should know that people like you aren't welcome here!"

"Whose that?" Pietro asked, speaking up. "People who can tie their own shoes?" Lance looked to his friend for the first time that day, so many unspoken words dying in the space between them as they seemed to understand each other in that moment. "You didn't have to bother, Lance," the younger mutant continued, smiling. "You know as well as me that I can handle these losers myself."

"I know that," Lance said, lowering his voice. "we can't exactly use our powers out in the open though, y'know?"

"They wouldn't understand what was happening to them anyways," the downy haired boy said. "Nobody would believe them if they tried to tell anyone," he smirked, his eyes lighting up.

"What's the matter? Lovers quarrel?" Duncan mocked. "Lets get out of here, guys," he said, turning to his friends who were poorly masking their amusement. "The little one seems feisty! After he's taken care of his man, he might come after us!"

"Oh, yeah. Lets run," Paul laughed, gripping his sides while he doubled over. "You never know what a pissed off little faggot can do!"

Lance's eyes flashed as his anger rose within him and he turned to glare at the boy who had spoken. He wanted nothing better than to show the ignorant bastard that ignorance wasn't bliss and if he wasn't careful, it could hurt him. He focused his glare at Paul, feeling the buzz of his powers course through his body. Tremors began to spread through the floor, shooting out like a light to the six attackers, throwing them off balance. They stumbled and grasped for something to hold onto, allowing Pietro to rush forward and knock them all on their asses.

The speed-demon reappeared by Lance's side and gently put a hand on his friend's arm to calm him down. "Lance?" he asked, concerned. "It's okay. You don't have to get so mad," he said, absently rubbing Lance's arm which seemed to break the older mutant's focus.

Lance unclenched his fists, stopping the tremors and put a hand up to his head. He could feel a headache beginning even though he wouldn't let it stop him in this fight. He looked down to Duncan and his friends who were scrambling to get back up to their feet. Neither his nor Pietro's attack had really caused much damage, but they hadn't intended to either. Seriously hurting them wasn't an option, but they could still knock the ignorant bastards around a bit.

"What the hell was that?" Paul bellowed as he got to his feet, anger evident in his features. Duncan and Greg seemed a bit more subdued, but their friend seemed to be enraged by the turn of events. "You guys some kind of super freaks, or something?" he rubbed at the blood the trickled from his mouth where Pietro had punched him. "I'll get you for that, you little momma's boy!" he lunged at Pietro, his full weight going behind the fist that was aimed at the smaller boy. Lance pulled Pietro to him, preparing to protect his friend when Paul was stopped by several large arms wrapping around him.

"Six against two? Hardly seems fair, Duncan. What's going on?" the newcomer was one of Duncan's friends, although Lance didn't know him well enough because he usually kept to himself. Freddy was there too, having shown up with the new guy and Todd in tow. The youngest brotherhood member was standing his ground, having put himself somewhere between the jocks and his friends, ready to jump in if he was needed. He smiled at Lance and Pietro before turning back to Paul who was fighting the arms that restrained him.

"Chad! What gives? We were just going to show these little faggots that they're not welcome here!" Paul spat, seeming to calm down a bit as he turned to his friend, pushing the darker boy's arms off him and glaring at Freddy before he backed off a step.

"That's a weak excuse, man," Chad said, crossing his arms. "You're going to jeopardize your position on the team just because of your stupid insecurities. Grow up, man. Real people don't do shit like that!"

"Wha, so you're with them, then?" Paul laughed. "Didn't know you liked the little freaky fags so much." He squared his shoulders, seeming to want to fight his friend, having forgotten the brotherhood members that surrounded him.

"Paul," Chad started, his tone going serious. "My cousin was nearly killed by a fucktard like you for fucked up reasons like this. Which is why I won't stand around and let you do this, to yourself or him," he said, looking at Pietro and Lance. "Besides," he said, a sliver of a grin slipping onto his face. "It looks like they were about to hand you your ass, anyways," he said, beginning to chuckle at the look Paul was giving him.

Duncan and Greg appeared to have lost their will to fight and were standing, arms crossed, watching the scene. They shrugged indifferently when Paul looked to them for support. "Let's go, Paul," Duncan said, looking at Chad and nodding. "See ya later, Castillo." Chad gave a small nod to his friend before they turned and left him with the brotherhood members. He glanced at Freddy before looking over the three smaller boys.

"Thanks, Chad," Freddy said, smiling at the other boy who was roughly his height.

"Don't worry about it, man," the darker boy said, putting his hands on his hips. "They can be so stupid sometimes. They know I hate it when they pull shit like that. Your friends okay?" he asked, looking at Pietro but making no move get closer to the pale boy.

"Yeah, I think so," Freddy said, absently rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks for your help!" he smiled.

"Right, catch you later then," Chad said, turning to follow his friends.

"What the hell just happened?" Lance asked, completely confused as Freddy approached them.

"Oh, with Chad?" Freddy asked before shrugging his shoulders. "Nothing. He and I are in the same cooking class together. We're kinda friends, only we don't really talk outside of that one class. It's so weird. Well, we heard that his friends were going to get ya, or something, so we decided to stop it," he shrugged again. "No biggie, really. I know you could have stopped them, but he insisted."

"Yah," Todd piped up. "Anyways, Lance. Whatcha doing jumping into help Pietro? I thought you two were in a fight, yo!"

"What the hell do you mean, Todd?" Lance asked, puzzled.

"Ah, well, you guys weren't even talking this morning!" Todd said, not wanting to mention what they'd heard from Evan.

"Yeah, and Evan told us you'd hate Pietro because he's gay," Freddy piped up. He smiled at the look that Todd gave him before the younger mutant buried his face in his hand with an audible smack.

"The hell you talking about?" Lance asked, suddenly angry. "I don't hate him at all!" he exclaimed to his friends. He turned sharply to look into the blue orbs of his friend and onetime lover. "I don't hate you, Pietro. I… I don't want last night to have been a one time thing. I don't just want…" his voice fell in volume to a whisper. He brought a hand up to touch the side of Pietro's face, holding it to reassure himself that this was real and that he was really revealing this part of himself to the other boy. "Pietro?" he said, taking a deep breath. "I… I love you. I want to be with you, but only if you want it too. I-" he tried to keep talking to cover his embarrassment, but Pietro cut him off with a kiss. Their lips met lightly at first before Lance held the speed-demon in a tight embrace, kissing him passionately before releasing their mouths and holding the smaller boy to him.

**_  
End Chapter 15_**


	16. Chapter 16

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 16**  
(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

Up until that moment in time Pietro had been fighting to be strong. He hadn't known why Lance had jumped into the confrontation with Duncan and his friends, but the speed-demon was glad that he had. He had thought of so many things to say to Lance after their time together and there were still questions he had yet to voice, but all he could say after Lance confessed his true feelings were the words perched on the edge of his heart. "I love you too, Lance," he whispered, letting the taller boy cradle him against his larger body. Everything had ceased to exist for him when Lance had told him the words he'd been waiting to hear. He relished the feel of the older boy's muscles as they tensed around him protectively. He hugged back with all his strength, nuzzling Lance's neck and forgetting all else as he lost himself in another kiss.

x-+-x

Neither Pietro nor Lance noticed Todd or Freddy sneak away down the hall. "Uh, well, I guess that clears that up," Todd said, still shocked at the turn of events as he rounded the corner from where his two friends stood, wrapped in each others arms.

"They make a cute couple," Freddy said, leaning against the wall of the corridor.

"Yeah, I guess, yo," Todd agreed, leaning against the wall opposite his friend. "How long d'ya think they'll be?" he asked, wondering if they should guard that section of the hallway to give their friends some privacy.

"Don't know," Freddy said as he stepped away from the wall to block several girls from walking past them. "Sorry, there's been a chemical spill," he told them, his expression serious. "This hallway is off limits until the clean up crew can get to it," he said in the most official tone he could muster. The girls looked at one another and shrugged, turning to go to the other way. Freddy turned and leaned back against the wall, looking at a dumbfounded Todd. "What?"

"Nothing, yo," Todd said. "Was just wondering if we should be doin' stuff like that. You sounded pretty official there, yo!"

"I probably saw it somewhere in Star Trek," Freddy smiled.

Todd nodded his understanding and proceeded to spit slime onto the floor and wall, adding further evidence to their claim of a chemical spill.

x-+-x

At the end of the day Todd and Freddy happily jumped into the back seat of the brotherhood jeep. Pietro shot them an odd look before climbing into the passenger seat beside Lance. It appeared that the two younger mutants had everything planned since Lance's revelation to them at lunch. They had spent the rest of the lunch hour making sure that the two love birds weren't disturbed. Pietro and Lance, on the other hand, had spent most of their time talking and hanging around outside. Despite what had happened the night previous, they had both been feeling nervous around the other, that is, until Lance had come out and openly expressed his feelings for the younger mutant. Since that moment Pietro had been tentatively opening his heart more and more to Lance. It had only been half a day, but they were inseparable as they blew off the rest of their classes and lounged around just talking and getting to know each other. Now that the school day was over, both of them just wanted to get home and into a nice, cool shower.

"Dibs on the shower!" Lance called as he sped out of the parking lot.

"No way, man!" Pietro turned to face the brunette. "I get the shower first. I'll be faster, it's logical that way!"

"'Tro is right, yo!" Todd piped up from the back seat. "You've been watching Star Trek, haven't you? That's something that a Vulcan would say, yo!" he beamed, happy that he had another friend that enjoyed his favourite show. He quieted down, however, when he saw the glare that Lance was giving him in the rear view mirror.

"I get the shower first. End of discussion," Lance said with certain finality. "I've been sitting on the ground all day, I need to clean up. It's hot and I'm getting a headache because of it."

"Hey, Lance," Pietro said, grinning slyly. "I was lying around on the ground too! I'm just as dirty as you are."

Lance smirked as a particularly perverted look flashed in his eyes. "Technically? You were lying on me, while I was lying on the ground. I deserve the shower first, unless you can prove just what a dirty boy you are, Pietro," he leered at his friend, pulling the wheel with him as he did so.

"Too much information, Lance!" Todd yelled, covering his ears before switching to hide his eyes as the jeep veered off to the right.

"Watch the road, Lance!" Pietro cried, scrambling to fasten his seat belt as the brotherhood jeep swerved on the road. "Fine! You get the shower!" he said, crossing his arms and looking out the passenger window. '_Lance doesn't have to try to kill us just to get his way!'_ he thought, annoyed.

"Seriously, yo! I'm happy for you two and everything, but I don't need to hear stuff like that," Todd leaned on the back seats to talk to his friends. "Just so you guys know, the walls at home are pretty thin… I think I'm going to invest in some nice headphones, or something… OKAY?" He looked between Lance and Pietro but got no response from either of them; his request for some quiet apparently falling on deaf ears.

The remainder of the ride home was quiet, with only a radio DJ rambling incessantly about traffic reports, and all the while Pietro plotted his next move. The moment the jeep was put into park, he was out the door and up the stairs, taking full advantage of his powers to get to the bathroom first. He left Lance, Todd and Freddy behind in a cloud of dust as he closed the door and peeled his clothes off. It was nice to feel the cool tile beneath his bare feet and he leaned into the tub to turn on the water. He let it warm up a bit to a comfortably cool spray before stepping beneath its refreshing mist. _'Showers are great, but I've seriously got to talk to Lance about investing in an air conditioner, or something,'_ he mused as he let his body relax. He didn't hear anything that would indicate that there was someone else in the bathroom with him until it was too late. The warm arms that surrounded his shoulders startled him, causing him to jump. They tightened around him and he turned, looking into those brown orbs that were filled with mischief. The older boy hugged him, not saying anything, instead just letting the shower spray cooled them both. Pietro never had much patience and grew curious after Lance didn't say anything. "What?" he asked, nuzzling the older boy's neck.

"I thought you might need some help washing up, Pietro," the taller boy purred. "You said you were dirty, I wanted to see how dirty you were, hmmm?"

**_  
End Chapter 16_**


	17. Chapter 17

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 17  
**(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

In order to keep this fic at an M rating, I have cut the sex scene from this section of the story.

**You have two options:**

Please proceed to chapter 18 if you have no interest in reading it or are under the age of 18.

If you would like to read it, please go to my profile to get the links to this story at either my writing journal (on livejournal) or on adultfanfiction. net


	18. Chapter 18

**Pietro's #1 Crush – Chapter 18**  
(See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer and legend)

Once their orgasms had subsided, their quaking bodies fell against each other, gripping at the solid reality of each other's flesh and they lay down on the bed, spent. "Lance?" Pietro asked after a moment. "What about Todd and Freddy? Wouldn't they have heard us?"

"Naw," the rock tumbler said, rolling to face his lover. "I sent them out for ice cream before coming up to see you in the shower. I made sure that they knew to take their time coming home, too," he smiled wickedly, leaning in to kiss Pietro. Their lips met, lazily parting as their tongues slid against each other before drawing back. "So, what do you want to do now?" Lance asked. "The night is young…"

"Lance?" Pietro asked, suddenly taking on a serious look. "Did you really REALLY mean what you said to me today?"

"What? About me not hating you? Naw, I don't hate you at all!" Lance grinned, holding Pietro tighter against his chest.

"That's not it, idiot," Pietro said, pushing himself away again. "I mean, what you said... about loving me. Did you mean it?"

"Depends, did you mean it when you told me that you love me?" Lance's eyes belied the lightness of the comment, their naked insecurity momentarily bared.

"You know I did, Lance." Pietro sighed, reaching up to stroke an errant strand of brown hair.

"Pietro, I love you too. I meant it when I said it and I'll never leave you," he planted a chaste kiss on Pietro's forehead. "Everything will work out okay," he sighed, laying back on the pillow.

Pietro smiled, resting his head against his lovers chest, his eyelids drooping as his body relaxed and began to drift off to sleep.

They napped there; naked and holding each other until Todd and Freddy came back from their ice cream. Things had changed for the brotherhood, yet for once, not in a bad way. Their ties had grown stronger and they were more of a family than any one member had known in their lifetime.

Pietro dreamed in his lovers arms, their warm bodies holding each other in the darkness. Never again alone.

**_FIN_**

**_

* * *

_**

After having posted this, I went to browse through the reviews as I waited for it to refresh on the server. I hadn't looked in the longest time, and was so surprised and happy to see that people still liked it and read it, even though I'd left it sitting for so long.

This has really been fun to write, and has gotten me back into an Xmen Evo mood. I've gained quite a bit of experience writing lemons since I left this, and felt confident enough to tackle the hurdle that had intimidated me so much before.

I'd just like to thank everyone who has reviewed this, if I may. If I somehow miss you, please know that I did not do it on purpose. I really appreciate any kind words or criticisms that anybody can send my way.

(Also, due to seeming reluctance to let me use the caret symbol or the underscore symbol to produce little smilies, I'm afraid that these thanks will seem rather devoid of emotion. I will use the old-school smilies that I grew up on. Hopefully I won't seem too out of it)

evilgoddess1990 - thank you for leaving so much feedback! It's really nice to know that you liked so many chapters that I've written. I hope you like the new ones I just posted too.

Sesshoumaru'sOneAndOnly - I hope you dug the lemons. I wrote 2.5 of them just to make up for lost time, even though I know that it's impossible, I hope it helps. :)

FluffysBijin05 - Sorry to kill you with the suspense. I'm glad you liked this, and hope you dig the slash as much as you like the yaoi. ;)

YukinoHonoo - Your words of encouragement were so nice to hear. I was wondering if I was getting their characters right, as I can sometimes stray from that. >. 

Kickassangel - Thanks for the enthusiasm (and the multiple reviews)! Hope the number of updates (completing the fic) meets your request for more updates. :D

to the anonymous person who BAMFed in - Hope you didn't die TOO too much, and yes, smex IS good. ;)

Dahamu - Your comments that everyone was IC is a relief to me. Thank you. I've kept you waiting on this, so I hope you enjoy the remaining chapters!

DemonRogue - I'm glad you like it:D

darkdancer - I'm happy to hear you liked it. I'm sorry I just checked the fb list today to see you'd like to host it on your site. I'll try to get a hold of you after this (or you can catch me) and I'd be happy to let you host it. I hope the new chapters are okay for your site!

to the anonymous person called Mysterious - I had many ideas as to how Lance would cheer him up, but them morphed into something else when I sat down to write it again... I figured that cheering him up would be nice if drawn out. Hope you like it!

IwillmarryJustinTimberlake - I know I didn't update in ages, so I tried to make up for it with multiple lemons and one massive update, instead of trickling in the updates like I was before. As I said in my revised chapter 1; I will never leave anything this long again.

to the anonymous Pietro and Lance Yaoi Freak! - I'm sorry to kill you with the suspense. A good cliffhanger is supposed to do that, but not for quite so long. I hope you liked the new chapters!

to the anonymous KillerKitty - Thank you, I will keep writing. I'm glad you like it, too:)

Escagirl - Lol, thanks for the tips! Yeah, stating exact sizes can be distracting, so I stuck to the 'ol faithful descriptions. Lots of reasearch was, of course, done as well! XD Thank you for the wind for my wings! (I liked your little sig there, by the way)

to the anonymous Maverick - I continued it and it is done. Sorry to keep you waiting. Your kind words mean a lot to me:)

Michelle Micky - Thank you for the attention. I hope you found this again to see that it's done:D

to the anonymous child of darkness - XD yep, I get the point. Thanks for letting me know!

The Soulless Wonder - It's been a while since you reviewed, if you see this, thank you for your tips! I also see you were the anonymous child of darkness. Thank you for the multiple comments! This has been fun to write, if not a little long in the making.

Flaming psychopath - It's been a while, but if you find this again, I hope you like the characterization in the later chapters. (I'm working on it, but it sometimes escapes me - Aw, thank you for the cake offer! It's been a while since you reviewed, and in that you said it was a while since you read it, but if you find this agian, know that I appreciate your comment (and cake offer:D)

Alex Destine - You asked for more? Here it is! (Sorry for the long delay!)

to the anonymous Zeriara - Todd is my fav character too, but this turned into some LanceXPietro fun. Well, I put more of him in. Hope you dig it!

klucky - thanks!

Psychodelic Barfly - I seem to remember us spamming eachothers comments boxes with lots of feedback back in the day. Thank you for your kind offer to help with the smut. If you read this, and the offer still stands, feel free to contact me sometime. We could play around with some more XMen: Evo fun, if you're game!

This was a bit long, but I wanted to thank everyone who commented between now and the time I stopped updating. Thank you all very much for reading and taking the time to post feedback. It is really appreciated.


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